Meet My Student
by The Brod Road
Summary: Originally a request response, now a 5-story series of unconnected One-Shots. Mystery Inc comes across one of Shaggy's former students from Grimwood's Finishing School. How will life continue with a Ghoul in tow? Shaggy/Grimwood Ghouls, a different Ghoul per chapter. Update: It's finally Tanis time. PLUS a... "special" bonus chapter!
1. Winnie

Thanks to a random plot bunny, I'm able to actually answer a reviewer's request! So, to Sgt. M00re, I present your Shaggy/Winnie fanfic idea! I warn you (and everyone else too) that I'm not quite sure where the hell I was going with the final quarter of the story. It just seemed like a very amusing idea to use, considering Winnie. More on that later and I hope it's received well….

Disclaimer: I really don't own anything….

Meet My Student: Winnie

The evening was perfect for the full moon that graced the skies over the small town. At least, it would be for almost everyone… The bright orb only meant danger and possible death for a skinny, brown-haired, always-hungry young man and his great dane. As always, it seemed that him and his friends couldn't go on a road trip in their mostly-green van without running into a few mysteries to solve, usually involving "monsters". But just because the monsters normally turned out to be just loser criminals in costumes didn't mean they posed no danger at all.

For one thing, there was always the chance that it actually WASN'T some goon in a suit, as some of their adventures throughout the years had proven… And Shaggy Rogers would really hate it if this particular mystery turned out to be just that particular one out of ten odds. Werewolves… Why'd it have to be werewolves?

Well, werewolf, to be precise. According to word around town, every full moon, a wolfman would show up and wreak havoc, trashing the local stores and businesses. Eyewitnesses described it as hulking, feral, and had a wild mane of red hair. Some had said that they hadn't understood why it was doing what it was doing, for it had been spotted once or twice throughout the recent half-decade, but had only started attacking the town this particular year.

And Mystery Inc just had to be driving the Mystery Machine through town a day before the full moon… What luck… And so, the adventure unraveled the way it usually did. Asking around, getting information, and then, to Shaggy and Scooby's normal discomfort, actually poking around when the time came. They didn't have to look for long after 10 pm hit, as loud howls and shattering glass alerted the gang to the lycanthrope's whereabouts.

Getting a good look at it proved to be costly, as the gang had gotten its attention. Like most of their escapades, the fivesome proved to be superb at running as the beast gave chase, growling as it went. Eventually, Fred came up with the idea of splitting up, which was fortunate for some of the tiring runners. Except for Shaggy and Scooby, who the beast kept chasing…

Which led to the present moment. Shaggy and Scooby, cornered in a small town alley, the snarling beast savoring the moment as it approached, punching his palm in a threatening gesture. Wait a minute… Wasn't that a human gesture? Shaggy thought it was feral. Hmmm… Still, a beatdown was a beatdown. "Like, zoinks!" Indeed.

Looking past the werewolf, Shaggy noticed that his friends had caught up to his position, peeking around the corner at the entrance of the alley behind it. Perhaps they could surprise it with an ambush?

It was a basic, effective plan. One that could have worked. However, all humans involved would be beaten to the punch as a loud howl sounded from… above? Everyone looked up just in time to see a silhouetted figure leap down off of one of the surrounding roofs. The beast that had Shaggy cornered got the worst view of all as the intruder was falling straight at him, seemingly ready to land one hell of a dropkick.

With a roar of its own, the newcomer landed feet first on the werewolf and proceeded to brawl with it, despite having jumped down a few floors worth of height. An eye-catching aspect of Shaggy and Scooby's apparent savior was that it also had a wild mane of red hair… Soon enough, the fight seemed to be over. Or at least, it wanted to be over as a distinctively human voice called out… "AAAH! Somebody get this thing off me! I quit! I quit! I'm a fraud! Somebody save me! YAAAAAHHH! OWW! THAT HURTS! THIS THING HAS CLAWS!? SHIT! IT'S THE REAL ONE! HEEEEELLLLPPPP!"

The crying man that was definitely not a werewolf was soon thrown out of the alley, his costume nearly ripped to shreds and his wolf helmet torn in half, revealing a face that would be familiar to the local townies. The three members of Mystery Inc remained quiet and hidden, just in case the newcomer was indeed a real werewolf, like the cowering scum on the ground a few feet away was claiming in fear. The team's bottomless stomachs weren't as lucky as their 'hero' turned its gaze toward them, its eyes practically glowing in animalistic adrenaline.

"Like, zoinks! Please don't hurt us! We're not gonna hurt you or anything! Please!" Shaggy begged. The creature tilted its head, a light growl uttered, as if curious. Shaggy dared to look. While the visibility in the alley was fairly dim, Shaggy couldn't help but think that the beastly figure that was sizing him up had a somewhat… feminine look to it. Whatever it was, it took a step forward. The faint sound of sniffing could be heard from it. Another step, more sniffing… An 'arf' of sudden realization was heard.

Then, it lunged at Shaggy. He, of course, screamed bloody murder, his eyes clamped shut in terror.

Until he realized that he wasn't feeling any pain at all. Just some additional weight.

"She rikes you, Raggy." he heard Scooby say before the dog laughed. Confused, the coward opened his eyes to see nothing but moving red hair. Trying to get a better view, he noticed that the apparent she-beast was actually nuzzling him while uttering little growls of what he concluded to be some sort of approval. Taking a gentle grip on her shoulders and gently pushing away, the werewolf-ette seemed to get the message and backed up a little bit, letting him get a good look at her. Yup, definitely a full-on werewolf, the full moon at work. But Shaggy became thoughtful. Something about this werewolf seemed familiar…

That thick red hair, opposing the wolf's brown body fur…

Those eyes…

The breasts (Yep, definitely a woman…). Well, those weren't familiar. But very noticeable, nonetheless. Nevermind that!

It felt like his mind had the answer, but the part of his mind that had the answer was trying to shout it to him from a long distance away, the information failing to connect by just so… But he was driven back to the matter at hand as he apparently now had TWO canines to take care of, judging from the werewolf looking at him expectantly, panting happily almost like Scooby would at the prospect of a free all-you-can-eat buffet.

"Uhh… Like… Okay….? You think I'm a good person… Cool! Umm… Let's go, I suppose…?" Shaggy said, feeling awkward about treating a human-turned-wolf like a pet. He started to walk toward the alley's entrance, where Daphne, Fred, and Velma watched the odd scene unfurl. The she-wolf and Scooby followed.

"Like, you guys aren't going to believe this."

"We saw. Since when could you tame a werewolf?" Daphne asked curiously, watching as Shaggy's 'new friend' happily stayed close to the lanky foodie. Velma took a close look at her, the brainiac's mind always at work. An actual werewolf. It would make for an interesting study.

"Like, I dunno. Guess she just took a liking to me. Dunno why." Shaggy shrugged, just feeling thankful that he wasn't turned into werewolf chow in 30 seconds. Fred took the opportunity to tie up the criminal, who shrieked again upon seeing the now-happy she-beast nearby.

As they spoke, a thick layer of clouds began moving in on the moon, slowly covering it up. When it was fully covered for the time being, the group noticed a change to the she-wolf in the street lights. She seemed to shrink a bit in height and mass. Her wolf snout also slowly retracted, gradually morphing into a shape resembling a somewhat human face. Her patches of body hair also retracted, leaving behind a short layer of brown fur.

The embarrassing downside to this transformation was that the werewolf was still naked, a fact that would escape the wolf woman's notice as something more important to her was on her mind.

"Ugh! Finally! I'm me again!" the werewolf cried out, a voice that also sounded very familiar to Shaggy and Scooby. But any questions about her identity were answered with her next excited statement. "COACH! Oh my God, it's so wonderful to see you again! I thought it was you when I heard Zoinks, but I knew it for sure when I smelled you! I just wish I wasn't feral when I came along, but… then again, I guess it was a good thing I was, considering that damn faker was going to kick your ass."

"W... Wuh…. Winnie?" Shaggy asked. The now-grown werewolf grinned. "Wha'sup, Coach?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Fred cut in, surprised. "Shaggy, you know this girl?"

"Is there a reason why she's calling you a coach?" Daphne added. Last she checked, Shaggy was never any sort of athletic anything, professionally…

"Friends of yours, Coach?" Winnie asked her own question, the fanged smirk oh-so-familiar to Shaggy and Scooby but understandably unnerving to the others.

"Like, yes, long story, and yes. Uhh… Perhaps we should get moving, though. For one thing, the cops are still looking for a werewolf, even though we, like, caught the guy. Secondly, uh… Winnie?"

"Yes, Coach?" she answered, glad to be talking with her favorite teacher again. Nothing could diminish her absolute joy now. Boy, would Sibella be jealous of her!

"Umm…" the poor guy couldn't help eyeing the werewolf woman up and down. He tried to be polite and not look. But natural male instincts being what they were… He was at least glad he didn't blatantly stare. "You're, like…. naked…"

She was wrong. SOMETHING could diminish that joy just a tad…

The gang had waited long enough for an explanation. First, they had dropped the simpering criminal off at the police station. The criminal had turned out to be a big-shot local contractor who had pulled the repeated werewolf stunts based on hearing rumors about Winnie living nearby so he could get lots of repair business and thus, lots of forced profit. Basically, another dumbass scam, like most of Mystery Inc's opposition. Then, they drove to Winnie's place, which turned out to be a little cave on the outskirts of town, much to Shaggy and Scooby's chagrin. ("Who'd rent a place to someone that always looks like I do?" Winnie had pointed out.) Winnie gathered her possessions, which wasn't much. Just her clothes, a small collection of handheld video games, a few books, a portable generator, a small TV, and a stash of random foodstuffs. Luckily, the Mystery Machine had plenty of room for it.

It turned out there was a good reason why the werewolf didn't put any clothes on, despite her constant embarrassment about being naked in front of others. Because thirdly was the fact that, after they had packed Winnie's stuff, the full moon had come back out again, causing Winnie to return to her slightly-bigger, feral wolf form. The fright of three of the five members of Mystery Inc turned out to be unwarranted as Feral Winnie appeared unfazed by the transformation and was panting happily, her tail wagging as she constantly glanced at Shaggy. Velma took a mental note that perhaps werewolves could easily tell friends from foes during the full moon, despite the animal side having taken over. Either that, or Shaggy had really made quite an impression in this girl somehow.

After a while of driving, the group pulled over at a roadside hotel to sleep for the rest of the night. As curious as they were about their new traveling companion, their exhaustion was threatening to take over. Shaggy and Scooby agreed to sleep in the Mystery Machine when Feral Winnie refused to sleep in the van alone. By refused, that meant constant whimpering until Shaggy felt guilty. The coward could swear that he heard her snicker under her breath after he conceded to her request.

Finally, morning came. Winnie slowly awoke, the first thing that she saw was the face of her favorite teacher, still sleeping. A feeling of happiness came about. She didn't know why, but she could get very used to this. Perhaps it was because she was alone for quite a few years since her time at Grimwood ended… Or maybe it was because of who she was with. He was pretty cool back at school… Who knows? But all she knew now was that the present moment would be a great time to finally get some clothes on while the boys were still asleep, now that she didn't have to worry about the full moon for a while.

A half hour later, Fred, Daphne, and Velma entered the van, a big bag of to-go breakfast in hand for the man, the dog, and the wolf. All three took to the meal as the van drove off toward who-knows-where. "Alright, Shaggy. I think it's explanation time." Daphne said in a friendly but firm manner, breaching the topic head-on. After all, they weren't expecting another companion, much less an actual werewolf.

"Uhh… Like, well… Remember when Scoob, Scrappy, and I took off on our own for a while?" Shaggy began. The trio nodded. "Like, we had a few adventures of our own during that time. Uhh… Winnie here's from one of them. Like, I decided that we needed to bring in some extra money. I noticed an ad in a local paper looking for a gym teacher for an all-girls school. I figured with the way we, like, run all the time, I could probably help get some students moving. Not the best logic in the world, I know. But I went for it. Umm… Turned out that there was a slight secret to this school…." Shaggy paused, letting the story cryptically trail off, much to Winnie's amusement as she fondly recalled how scared the poor guy was when he first showed up.

"It was, like, a school for female monsters. Like, we were scared stiff! But, after meeting the ghouls, well… who am I to back out of a deal? It was weird, strange, and kinda dangerous at times, but I thought it went pretty well."

"Damn right it did. We still wished you could've stayed for longer. Ms. G. ended up covering the slack as the couple of replacements didn't exactly cut it…" Winnie said, a frown suddenly upon her. Shaggy noticed. "Huh? Like, what happened?"

"Well, remember the new students that scared you off? Well… Note to Management: Careful what you say to extraterrestrials. First replacement got a dose of irony when he got anal probed after raising a stink about the odds of being anal probed. The aliens didn't do it for research. Let's just say they were mad about how racist he was and leave it at that… The aliens ended up expelled as a result. Then came the second replacement. Umm… We ended up getting a first-hand lesson about how some human males are attracted to those younger than them. Poor little Tanis… Oh, don't worry! She's fine! Sibella caught him before he could do anything." Winnie concluded, noticing the worried looks on Shaggy and Scooby's faces upon hearing how she mentioned the adorable little mummy.

"So, like, that one got fired, right?" Shaggy asked.

"Didn't have the chance to be. Sibella was so mad, she uhh….. she drained him dry." Winnie finished, hoping Shaggy wouldn't be disappointed in her friend.

"Uh, what does she mean by that, Shaggy?" Fred asked, as the three left-out humans didn't know what she meant.

"Sibella's a vampire." Shaggy said, as if that explained everything. Which it did, judging from the looks of realization upon their faces. "Sigh… Like, I guess that couldn't be avoided. I'd have punched the jerk out if I'd have caught that guy. Well, try to, anyway… I'm not that tough." he said in a 'such is life' kind of tone.

"Yeah, that was bad… After that, Ms. G. wanted to find a way to contact you to bring you back somehow. Man, did we want that! You were the best, Coach…" she said, giving Shaggy a sudden hug as she was sitting next to him. "But you didn't leave us any way to contact you. No phone, no address, not even an email… Even with the few resources she had, Ms. G. couldn't find a way to get any info on you. Do you always drive around in this van all the time? Because seriously…" Winnie trailed off with a low growl, giving him a stern look, despite still hugging him. Shaggy began to squirm a little.

"Uh, look, Winnie… Sorry about that… I really am. I just… well… umm…" Shaggy stammered. The three other humans couldn't stop snickering at their friend's predicament. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

The werewolf sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "I know. Those new students were intimidating… But they weren't replacing us, you know. We still had some time until actually graduating. You dummy." she explained, playfully slapping him upside the head. "If only you knew what was going on... But at least everything turned out relatively fine. I'm a fully graduated werewolf now! Too bad I'm only barely managing to eke out a living in some cave in the middle of wherever the hell we are…"

"Hey, like, it'll be fine, Winnie. Umm… At least you're with friends now. And, like… uhh… lots of people don't find their path in life right away. I mean, like… look at me! Sure, being part of Mystery Inc is great and all, but we kinda just... stumbled into solving mysteries, if you can believe that." Shaggy said, awkwardly returning the hug she was giving him as a way to console her.

"Sure…" Winnie said with a sardonic smirk, her sarcasm thick.

"What, it's true. We were just on a road trip one time, going from town to town to explore, when we came across a town who had a bit of a monster problem. We were curious. It turned out to be some guy in a costume. Then, a few days later, a circus was in trouble because of some ghost clown. We got curious. Hmm…. Like, didn't it turn out to be a disgruntled employee? And then, another. And another. And another. So we decided to kinda make a career out of it."

"Wow… And then you go on your own and end up discovering real monsters like us? Alright, I get it. Your life's strange. Mine is too. Enough with the sob story, crime buster." she said, playfully shoving him away lightly.

"What happened with the others anyway?" Shaggy asked, curious.

"Well… Because of what nearly happened with that pervert, Tanis and Sibella gave up on dudes and started going out with each other. Although, they still mentioned you at times… I think they still like you. I'm not sure what happened to Elsa, really… One day, she gets a letter saying that there was trouble at her pop's castle. She leaves. Few days later, I saw a strange news article on TV about a city being taken over by some 'sewn-together undead hippie chick named Mariska'. ( **1** ) I dunno about the hippie thing, but I recognized Elsa's face anywhere. I would guess some sort of demonic possession as far as what happened goes. It happens, unfortunately. Sure hope she got better somehow… As for Phantasma, who knows with that crazy ghost? Knowing her obsession with music, I would have to guess that she might be currently chasing down the spirits of the recent music legends that passed away, probably for autographs. Lemmy of Motorhead? David Bowie? Glenn Frey of The Eagles? Watch yourselves. Sorry it isn't all good news, Coach." Winnie finished, knowing that some of her explanation isn't what her favorite human had expected.

"Like, at least we know… Better than not, I suppose, right?" Shaggy asked, not sure how else to react. Poor Elsa… Winnie nodded. "Yeah. So, what's up? Can I come with? Or are you just gonna drop me off somewhere? Or what?"

"Well, seeing how you were living, I don't think dropping you off somewhere's an option." Shaggy answered. Where could she go that she wouldn't be ostracized for being a werewolf 24/7? No hiding her body fur. And even if she could pass it off as 'being brown-skinned', there's the matter of the definitely wolfish features of her face that were always there, feral or not.

"Is bringing her along a good option either? What about full moons? Wouldn't she need to… hunt or something?" Daphne pointed out. Winnie snorted in response. "Hey, Red! I think I can control my instincts fine, thank you! I didn't maul Shaggy last night, did I?!"

"She's got you there, Daph." sniped Velma before adding her thoughts into the matter. "Well, technically, you would be an extra mouth to feed, but I don't think it'd be bad to have someone new along for the ride. Besides, we're nearing the end of this trip anyway. We have a place where we settle down for a while. Any friend of Shaggy's can consider herself welcome there. No worries about what people think, because you'll have friends around."

"Really? You guys wouldn't mind…?" The hope in Winnie's voice was practically tangible. Truth be told, she was getting tired of having no one to spend time with. The few times she had tried to mingle among humans after graduating from Grimwood hadn't gone well and there wasn't even another werewolf around for miles. Well, until that one showed up nearby… But Winnie could instantly tell it was a fake. She hadn't any reason to interject in the faker's business, despite how offended she was. At least, not until last night, when she happened to hear a very-familiar catchphrase and simply had to investigate…

"I know I, like, wouldn't mind." Shaggy said with a grin. "It'll be good for ya."

"I hope so." Winnie answered. It had to be better than where she was.

Winnie's life was better. Mystery Inc stopped their ever-onward road-tripping to relax for a while in their apartment building in their childhood hometown of Coolsville, USA. Winnie could never get her head around why anyone would actually name a town 'Coolsville', but she grew to like the area when she could explore it (which was rare without a proper disguise of some sort, just to be safe). The first few nights in an actual apartment took a little getting used to for the buxom young werewolf, considering she had spent the last few years literally roughing it. Hell, Shaggy didn't want to know how she even came across video games, a TV, and a generator to call her own, not to mention how she kept herself fed without money... Nonetheless, the best part in her opinion was actually getting to lay in and sleep on a nice, soft, comfortable bed again. Although a close second best part was Shaggy himself.

As days went on, Shaggy and Winnie spent time getting to know each other better, this time as two fellow people, rather than the platonic bond between teacher and student. Of course, being a werewolf, Winnie shared Shaggy's love of food, particularly anything involving meat. As for Shaggy, he may have created a metaphorical monster when he introduced her to console videogaming and, even worse, online multiplayer. Not exactly a good thing for a short-tempered lady like her to be on the receiving end of a losing streak combined with some snotty brat's trash-talking.

But then again, Shaggy found himself enjoying the moments when he'd find ways to calm his agitated friend down. Back rubs were very effective, he came to find out.

When his birthday came around a couple of months later, the gang celebrated and inadvertently discovered another something that Winnie apparently couldn't handle very well: Alcohol. Despite her nature, it would happen that she wasn't exactly an angry drunk. No, she was a flirty drunk. Flirty and territorial…

It happened when Velma was trying to give Shaggy her gift, the man of the hour seated on a couch. The glasses-wearing brunette was in the middle of saying her piece about her gift when she was gently nudged aside by a stumbling Winnie. "Yeah, yeah… How about the stud here open MY gift now? Hic… I think he'd find it a bit more pleasing…" she slurred with a dopey smile on. Shaggy wondered if he had heard her right. Stud?

"Uh, like, Winnie… What gift?"

"Yer lookin' at it, stud. The clothes are… hic….are da wrapping paper… Unwrap me!" she practically commanded, spreading her arms out in presentation, clothed in short shorts and a tank top. The gang somehow doubted she was wearing anything else, although they were somewhat used to Winnie's rough-and-tumble attitude by now.

Shaggy blushed at her offer. She couldn't have meant that, could she? She was clearly drunk. They were close friends and would always be so. Right? Velma then tried to politely cut in. "Um… Winnie, if I could just give Shaggy my gift now…"

"Aw, no! Later… He's mine now." Winnie pouted, almost childishly collapsing onto Shaggy and wrapping herself around him. "Mine, mine…" she murmured, the foodie smelling the booze on her breath. Velma sighed in exasperation. That wolf could be so unruly sometimes… "Winnie, please. Our gifts are the last ones. Just… let me give mine and you can give him… uh… yourself after. See? I have a box in my hand. An actual gift." Velma said, trying to reason with the drunk that she wasn't trying to out-innuendo her or anything.

"And I have a box in my shorts… Shaggy's box…." Winnie slurred, giggling afterward about the juvenile pun. Shaggy reached a hand out to accept Velma's gift, looking apologetic. Winnie's giggles started to slow down, the werewolf drooping as drunk unconsciousness beckoned, which made the others wonder how much she had to drink anyway. Knowing her, probably a whole keg…

"Mine…" Winnie quietly muttered, barely heard by Shaggy over the background music that the group had playing on an iPod on speakers. It was then that her head slumped on his shoulder and she had officially passed out, her body sort of pinning Shaggy's on the couch.

"Like, this was interesting… Uh… I guess I'll put her to bed so she can rest. I hope she, like, doesn't have a hangover." Shaggy said, worrying a little. He didn't know if werewolves could get bad hangovers, but he imagined it wouldn't be pretty…

"Dude, you know how she is. Hangover City." Fred said, pointing out a small messy pile of beer cans and the occasional wine bottle. Winnie's 'handiwork'… "Look, I understand if you wanna take care of her when she comes to. All we ask is you watch yourself. This is new turf for us, werewolf with a hangover… Who knows what kind of temper she'll have."

"Like, I know. But… It's a risk I think I'm willing to take." Shaggy said in a resigned tone, but with an air of feeling like it'll be worth it. Taking care not to accidentally drop her, Shaggy got to his feet. He took Winnie in his arms, bridal-style, and proceeded to take her out of what would be a crowded, noisy room go a drunk.

The next morning would be a rough start for Shaggy as he spent a half hour holding Winnie's messy mane of thick hair out of the path of her vomit as she hugged Shaggy's toilet. Funny. She didn't recall eating anything with carrots in it. But there they were… "I'm sorry, Shaggy…" she pitifully moaned before another wave of puke came up. The human wished he had a gas mask as werewolf vomit seemed to have a hell of a pungent stench, more so than the human version. Poor Scooby left the apartment soon after the puking began, his sensitive nose feeling like it was burning.

As the latest wave subsided, Winnie whimpered, feeling like she had caused Shaggy so much trouble on his birthday. Recognizing her sorrow, Shaggy began to rub her back. "Like, it'll be okay, Winnie. All this place needs is a couple of flushes, some open windows, and perhaps some Lysol spray." he said as upbeat as he could muster.

"But I made such an ass of myself last night… Drunk all your booze. Least I think it was all your booze… Then I… Then I…. I blew it." she moaned, clumsily reaching up and pulling the toilet handle to flush the vile contents down the drain.

"You didn't do anything really crazy. Really! Like, no problem. If anything, the others probably found it funny, that's all." he reassured. He didn't like seeing his pretty friend so down. Wait… Pretty? Where'd that thought come from?

"No… Not that… I… I wanted to…. Umm…" she stammered, growing uncharacteristically shy. Shaggy was reminded of how Tanis used to be back when he was teacher. Somewhat increasing the pressure of his back rub to help comfort her more, Shaggy waited patiently. No need to rush the poor werewolf. "Um… Do you like me?" she practically whispered.

"What? Like, of course I do. What makes you think I didn't?"

"No, Shaggy. Do you LIKE me…? Ya know, like a man likes a hot chick and just has to make her his…" she trailed off, letting her implication hang in the air like a balloon. Shaggy went bug-eyed with surprise. Winnie liked him? No, wait. She loved him? That would explain her actions last night, although he thought she was just being horny in general when drunk. Besides, he knew he wasn't exactly a catch with the ladies. His distinct lack of courage didn't sit well with most women, so he had heard…

As for him, he liked Winnie well enough. Without the responsibility of being a teacher, he had found her to be a fun and spirited companion who shared a few common interests. And she had certainly developed to be quite a beautiful young woman. There were a few times within the couple of months she had stayed with Mystery Inc that he had an inappropriate thought or two about the busty redhead. But actually going for it? Well, again, the lack of courage at work… Not to mention the whole interspecies thing, not that he was wholly opposed to it, of course. It was more of the matter of how it would work.

"Uhh… Like… Well…" he gulped.

"Shaggy? Are you shy?" Winnie asked, having gotten to know him well enough that his hesitation might be just out of nervousness than from him trying to reject her gently. But there was that possibility as well… Maybe he didn't like women of other species. Perhaps he still saw her as that little tomboy of a schoolgirl.

"Yes… Like, I am…" he replied, suddenly stopping his ministrations. Feeling safe about her stomach's stability, Winnie detached her grip on the porcelain throne and turned toward Shaggy, admittedly looking like she lost a fight with the alpha male of a werewolf pack, substituting the blood with vomit residue and little food chunks. But she didn't care. She needed to know, bits and pieces of specific memory coming back to her.

"Shaggy… You can tell me, you know. You think I'd laugh at you or something?" she said almost ironically, considering her current embarrassing situation. Shaggy chuckled at her choice of words.

"No. It's not that I'm worried about… I'm, like, rather used to being the resident goof." Shaggy said, his face a little red from self-depreciation. Who was he kidding? A guy like him and a woman like Winnie? What could he do for a werewolf? If anything, SHE'd be the one to protect HIM from danger, for one thing! She already proved that fact true once before.

"Well, what then? You know I'm here for you. About anything. Anything at all. Even with this killer migraine I got goin'…" she said, ending with a groan as her head throbbed in pain again. Once again, the coward wished he knew what werewolves did for hangovers, but the only one he was in constant contact with apparently didn't get that lesson yet from her father or any other older werewolf. Way to roll snake eyes on the ol' dice, life situations.

"I… uhh… Like, I do… think about you… A lot these days, actually… I like how we've been getting… umm… close. And a part of me wants to… uhh…" Shaggy wondered why he always turned into such a mumbling basketcase when it comes to telling a beautiful woman his feelings. He briefly remembered when he asked his last girlfriend, Googie, out years ago. Just as awkward… "Wants to… well… Like, dammit…" he grew frustrated. This was it. He had to just man up and say it. This wasn't facing a monster, real or some thief in a suit. This was just Winnie. Wild, lovable, fiery, caring (when she wants to be), dependable Winnie. "Winnie,WillYouPleaseGoOutWithMe!?" Shaggy said very rapidly, his face burning red. His eyes were closed, dreading the look she could have as a reaction.

Winnie's sharp eyes widened. Did he just ask what she thinks he asked? Her hope flared. "Care to run that by me again, Speedy? Might wanna slow it down for those that aren't The Flash." she joked, lightly punching him in the shoulder before snickering. The food expert groused, seeing in retrospect that he had walked (ran?) right into that one.

"Alright… Alright… Umm… Would you like to…." he paused. Damn nerves… What he wouldn't do for a Scooby Snack right now. Nice and easy, ol' boy. "Would you like to be my girlfriend?" There! It was finally out in the open. If there had been an audience, there was a chance that some people might have let loose a 'Finally! Jeez!'.

Winnie grinned. Her intended mate was interested after all. Now all she had to do was make sure he understood what he was getting into…

"YES!" she exclaimed before weakly throwing herself at him in a tight hug, not caring that her excitement caused her head to throb again. She would learn to limit her drinking from then on. "Just… one thing you need to understand, Shaggy, before we get comfortable with the fact that we're dating now. It's…a werewolf thing…" she trailed off, her own face beginning to burn. How would he take this?

"Like, what is it, Winnie? I'm sure it can't be that bad." Shaggy answered, returning the hug she still had him in, his hands gently rubbing her back again.

"It might be, if we…don't work out…" she muttered. She recalled the stories her old man used to tell her about the odds and ends of werewolf instincts. Some of it was indeed pretty rough. "What do you mean?" Shaggy asked, a little concerned. Wasn't it a few seconds ago that she was ecstatic? Whatever her hang-up is, it did seem like it might be a big deal.

"Werewolves tend to… uhh… When they mate, they…. They mate for life… Whoever I give myself to, my natural instincts make sure I'm with that mate for as long as I live. Probably a reason why we're often a 'pack' species… Who the hell knows? If we were to break up, I couldn't be attracted to any other man or woman, human, werewolf, or otherwise. Ever. I'd be as dry as the night is long… So, if we were to…. screw each other's brains out… we'd better make damn sure we're fine with being tied to each other forever. Especially if I happen to accidentally turn you during sex or something... Ya know, a love bite here or there… It's been known to happen… And if it does, you'd have the same permanent dry spell if we end up having some giant mega-argument or something, no matter how hot the babe you find. It's why you never hear any proven legends about werewolf polygamists or werewolves being caught cheating on their wives." she concluded her speech with a sigh, awaiting her former teacher/closest guy friend/intended mate's response.

He was hesitant, but responded eventually. "Wow… That's kinda… limiting. I mean, one shot and that's it? Like, I understand your concern. But… I'm never one to let an argument end anything. Like, that's kinda what happened when I went off on my own with Scooby and Scrappy and ended up at your school. I forgot what it was about, but I had disagreed with Fred about something and it turned into something bad. So, like, we left for a while. But eventually, we came back because I missed them. Took a few apologies, but… like, here we are."

"So, what you're saying is…?" Winnie asked, not expecting a side-story for an explanation.

"I'm, like, more than willing to give us a try. But of course, we wait on that certain activity. See how things go and we'll talk about it later. That kinda thing." he answered, pulling her closer to him. Winnie, knowing her breath must stink to him with her face being that close to his, tried pushing him away to spare him, but was thrilled by Shaggy's decision. It was sensible and allowed the duo to be certain of themselves and each other when the time came.

Of course, it didn't stop Winnie from occasionally teasing the poor man sexually from time to time, now that they were dating… Anything from adding a sway to her hips when walking away from him to sexy outfits to 'accidentally' giving him a peek at the 'goods'. But Shaggy endured, knowing that such behavior was just part of her charm.

Four months later, the gang felt like road-tripping again. Although, mystery-solving sure became different, now that the resident bait had a protective girlfriend along… Specifically, what seemed to be their usual routine of working out mysteries was neatly shortened to Winnie pouncing into action and whupping the "monster"s ass upon first encounter, like a smaller She-Hulk. Velma soon took to independently researching famous cold cases via her laptop, as her need of figuring out clues to local monster problems dwindled. She had to keep that brain of hers sharp, after all. Still, she did enjoy sight-seeing with her good friends.

Although, a month into the road trip, the 'old routine' reestablished itself one more time when Shaggy and Winnie inevitably had their first argument as a couple. Oddly enough, it was about Winnie trying to do something nice for her boyfriend but he felt unworthy at the time and that he should do something for her instead. A battle of who should be the more courteous one? It'd have been a lot less strange if they were demanding that the other should do more nice things. Then again, Fred and Daphne did have that one argument about that ascot of his… But that was another bizarre story…

Nonetheless, it was back to the info-gathering, the fleeing, the clue-finding, the trap-setting, and of course, using Shaggy and Scooby as the fleeing bait to lure the creep-of-the-day into the trap. Naturally, the trap proved to be a waste of time when Winnie, who had stubbornly stayed behind in the Mystery Machine the whole time, decided to save her stubborn boyfriend at the last minute with her brutal werewolf style ass-kicking.

When the cops came to arrest the costumed crook, Winnie immediately, in front of all present, begrudgingly ordered Shaggy to "pamper the hell out of her", putting an end to the strange-as-hell quarrel (but not without embarrassing Shaggy a little, of course). They quickly made up as they drove off for the next town. Shaggy learned that Winnie wasn't going to put up with him being down on himself. She believed he was a good man, so he should too, she had pointed out.

The subject of mating never came up again since they started dating, both not wanting to give themselves or each other undue pressure. It wouldn't come up again until Mystery Inc found themselves upon one of the biggest names in impulse decisions: Las Vegas. It was ten months into their relationship and both had become practically inseparable, Winnie's boldness being the yin to Shaggy's nervous yang.

The group had decided to (what else?) split up and do their own thing. Scooby chose to go with Velma, figuring that his best friend wanted to explore with his girl. After a few casinos and winning a handful of dollars, evening set upon the city. However, Shaggy recalled a fact that he had to always keep on his mind since starting the relationship: When the full moon occurred… That night was a full moon. And it didn't look like they'd reach the gang's chosen hotel by the time the moon rose. But they tried anyway, much to Winnie's chagrin about wanting to explore more.

Eventually, Shaggy had to duck into an alley so that Winnie could transform without attracting unwanted attention. As Feral Winnie hovered around Shaggy, who she recognized as 'mate' instead of 'friend', the coward tried to look for a way they could blend in somehow. An anthropomorphic bare-breasted wolf would eventually draw some strange attention, if only for the lack of clothes rather than the potential danger. Vegas wasn't called the City of Sin for nothing. And him without an oversized jacket or something to lend her…

It was then that he noticed what would be his saving grace, even if it did make his stomach drop a little from what he had heard about the concept. In one of the buildings across the street, it was advertised that a "furry convention" was going on. That had to be it. He and Winnie could blend in there for the night with Winnie posing as a 'costumed girl acting in character'. It was nuts. Insane. Far out (not the good kind).

It was also something to be expected of Las Vegas. Shaggy hoped the saying was true about whatever happens in this town. He supposed this idea must be better than what could happen out on the streets. And so, taking a deep breath and beckoning his animalistic love to follow, he crossed the street quickly.

Things went smoothly enough at first, even though he was weirded out when the rabbit-costumed receptionist wanted to clarify that they were a 'human-on-furry couple', which was apparently some sort of thing. He didn't want to know, even if he and Winnie were technically one of those if they thought about it. Feral Winnie whimpered in confusion as she sniffed around the large room with plenty of costumed couples representing various animals, real and fictional. Lots of strange scents in the air, according to her enhanced nose. Some nice scents, but some foul stenches as well. Shaggy noticed one or two other people that didn't bother with a costume either, but came with a 'furry' significant other.

After a short while of the gathered people's mingling, what seemed to be some sort of official (dressed as a bull) spoke into a microphone and announced something about rooms having been made 'available for private use'. It didn't take Shaggy long to figure out that he had stumbled into one of THOSE kind of furry conventions. With only an audible "Zoinks!" when he figured it out, he quickly scrambled for a way to get Winnie back to the safety of their hotel room without drawing any attention. Considering he still had two long blocks to go, his options were slim to none.

His frantic thinking was interrupted by the wild Winnie suddenly grabbing hold of him, throwing him over her shoulder, and wandering through the crowd and away from the exit. Ignoring his panicked requests to be put down, Feral Winnie went through a doorway. It was one of the private rooms, complete with bed, blankets, pillows, romantic décor, and a variety of 'toys'. The werewolf kicked the door shut, causing Shaggy to gulp when he took a good look at the room.

"Uhh… Winnie?! Weren't we going to talk about this? Like, ya know, when we're ready?" he asked, his voice noticeably higher pitched from panic. Winnie replied by pulling him off her shoulder gently, holding him up off the ground, and happily licking his face. Shaggy couldn't help laughing a little at the enthusiasm, but the fact that her instincts might have overridden her free will was still heavy on his mind. She then pulled him into an embrace, his head smothered between her huge furry breasts as she yipped in excitement.

He had thought that their first time would be when Winnie was in her usual human-esque form. He preferred that option, if only for the fact that she had control of herself, considering what she had said about the unavoidable stipulations of mating. But it would seem he was cornered. More than just literally cornered in a little bedroom. If he refused too much, who knows how Winnie's animal side would take that. He knew the feral side of her understood him and things that went on around her somewhat from past full moons. She recognized him in her feral state that fateful night they met again, after all. And her human side knew what happened when she transformed back. Her human side agreed with waiting. But did her feral side disagree and finally had enough? Or was she completely in control the whole time and wanted to take some action?

If this turned out to be another one of Winnie's ways of teasing him, he was going to have quite a few words with his girlfriend when she reverted back the next morning (or next cloud cover, whichever came first). Figuring that there wouldn't be much harm in it since it was Winnie (and his current face-to-boobs encounter was effectively turning him on), he wrapped his arms around her somewhat-bigger-than-normal frame. "Alright, Winnie… If you really want this, like, let's do it then." he said, letting fate and his girl decide what they will…

Morning came and Shaggy was rudely awakened by a knock on the door. It took a minute to regain his bearings, but memories came flooding back. Full moon. Transformed Winnie. Furry convention. Sex room. Sex. A lot of sex. Howling. Licking. A werewolf over him. A werewolf UNDER him. A bond. A very important bond. Yes, it all came back to him, piece by piece, in the span of a couple of minutes. No wonder he felt like he had been run over by a bus.

Sore all over, he managed to rustle himself out of the torn-up bed and stumble over to the door, forgetting he was still naked. It made little difference. Winnie had destroyed his clothes in her fit of passion-frenzy. Opening the door a crack, he was met by the same bull-costumed official that had made the announcement. "Like, yeah, man?"

"Morning, sir. Just thought I'd help wake up the stragglers. Seeing as we always have to clean up for the next night, this is a nights-only convention, but we do serve breakfast in the lobby, so whenever you two are ready, come on out." For whatever reason, 'Mr. Bull' seemed a little too cheerful to Shaggy.

"Sure. By the way… Like, do you have some extra clothes on hand? My girlfriend kinda… destroyed mine." Shaggy said lamely. He had never been in such an awkward position. Fortunately, 'Mr. Bull' was accommodating to the foodie's problem. The catch? The only shirts they had were ones that advertised the convention, revealing to all that saw where he had been. Just typical… And of course, Winnie got a laugh when he explained why he was grumbling about the shirt. "Oh, just replace it with a Vegas shirt at the next souvenir stand, dummy!" she joyfully suggested.

The werewolf never felt greater. She was content and felt like she had the strength of a thousand of her kind. She knew it had something to do with the fact that she and Shaggy had mated. She hadn't been in complete control, which was normal for full moons, but she was aware enough to know what happened. She felt what happened too. She wanted more… Perhaps the next evening.

Still, it happened. Which meant….

One quick stop at a Vegas Wedding Chapel solved Winnie's sudden worries about Shaggy possibly being mad about forcing the werewolf mate lifestyle on him. In fact, he seemed nervously elated to be her mate. Perhaps, with the option no longer hovering over his head, he had felt that no matter what problems they might have, they'd work them out. Or maybe it had something to do with having survived being 'taken' by a fully-transformed werewolf? Something along the lines of 'If I can survive that, I can survive anything'? The fact that he was still in love with her despite… that incident… would be enough to settle her mind.

But marriage was nice. 'Besides' Winnie thought gleefully. 'There's no way Sibella and Tanis could ever top my wedding story!'

 **Author's Note:** So, yeah… That ending though… Shaggy and Winnie in a Furry Convention… Now I know plenty of people either are bothered by the concept of Furries or just can't stand it at all. I get that. It is kinda strange, indeed. But, considering Winnie being a fully-transformed werewolf at the time, I kinda think that she could easily be disguised as a Furry by blending in with other Furries to avoid attention from cops or something. And where better than Vegas? Right? I just hope you all think it was pretty funny, despite the implied "yiffing".

Secondly, I'm thinking of making this a 5-part series of one-off "What if?" stories where Shaggy and Mystery Inc come across one member of the Grimwood Ghouls and Shaggy ends up hooking up with the Ghoul-in-question. The only connection the stories would have is the technical fact that I'd have written them and the gimmick of the series of stories. If you like the idea, tell me via REVIEW!

Reference Footnote: 1) Mariska is one of the villainous bosses of the video game, Lollipop Chainsaw. The idea for Elsa's fate here was based on the fact that they both look like they're sewn together, albeit for different reasons. Elsa being a creation, like her parents. Mariska, on the other hand, is a reanimated dead hippie chick that somehow got chopped to pieces (most likely how she died) and then sewn back together. Mariska's fighting abilities reflect her psychedelic gimmick and attitude.


	2. Elsa

Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Nope. I don't.

Meet My Student: Elsa

The green van labeled as the Mystery Machine rumbled through the streets of the vacant-looking area of the town they occupants were driving through. The main reason for the apparent vacancy had to deal with what the particular location actually was: A high-security, top-secret government facility, disguised as a few old, abandoned office buildings and apartment complexes. Of course, the five members of Mystery Inc normally had no reason to visit nor prior knowledge of anything the government had hidden away.

But this obviously wasn't a normal occasion.

It had started with a strange phone call from an unidentified man (who almost sounded like Agent Smith from The Matrix, according to Fred) that asked for "a Mr. Rogers", indicating Shaggy. Of course, the man didn't reveal a heck of a lot, other than he was a government representative and that his presence was requested. At first, Shaggy and the others thought it may have been a prank call. Perhaps it was Red Herring up to his old schemes again. Or maybe some goon trying to get one up on the renowned paranormal agency, since they had gathered a decent amount of fame from all their crime-busting. So they ignored the call.

Then came the official-looking letters, government seals on everything and formal language throughout, basically implying that Shaggy should appear at the listed location within a certain time frame under penalty of legal measures. Not even Red could be ballsy enough to forge government mail. The gang grew concerned.

Another few days and they were confronted with a small group of men wearing black suits and shades, the typical 'g-men' look. The lead agent (possibly the one that called, as his voice also sounded like the Matrix arch-villain) asked for Shaggy's cooperation, to accompany them for whatever mysterious reason they refused to dispense more knowledge of. That did it. Mystery Inc was cornered. The government actually DID want Shaggy for something…

Which led to the present, the Mystery Machine following an unmarked black van until it parked in a random spot near the buildings. The gang parked behind it and exited, following the suits as they reached a supposedly blocked of entrance. Flashing a keycard at some blank spot of wall next to the sealed entrance, the card was somehow scanned like a bar-code and the 'barricaded' door slid aside, revealing a clean, sterile hallway, as opposed to the run-down exterior. Classic government secrecy…

Mystery Inc was led inside, the entrance quickly sealing itself back up after everyone had entered. Shaggy immediately tried to question the lead agent about what they were there for, but all he got out of 'Agent Smith' was that "all would be explained in moments". Daphne groaned in frustration. "Why wait more when we're already here? It's not like we can spill any big secrets now." she complained. No response from their escorts.

After a few turns and passing many doorways, 'Agent Smith' (who ironically was actually named Smith after all) stopped at a set of double doors. "Before we enter and reveal what brought you here today, I feel I must explain something, Mr. Rogers."

"Like, okay. I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but I, like, would greatly appreciate some answers." Shaggy replied honestly. He wasn't going to be angry about it, but at the same time, he saw no sense in kissing up to these guys.

"Shaggy Rogers, you were actually requested to appear before us. It has to deal with a recent discovery we have found. Attempts to research it have been…slow, at best. Mostly because of its own defiance when we try to pry deeper than we already have. Do not worry. We have not done any lasting damage. But our superiors would like an update as to how it came to be and how we may perhaps replicate the phenomena. Stubborn as it is, it claims to know you specifically and kept asking that you come here and… heh… 'rescue' it. We figured that if we bring you to it, it might be more willing to cooperate." the G-Man explained clinically.

Shaggy and Scooby were bothered the most by the explanation. Mystery Inc did have a couple of unusual acquaintances. Was somebody in trouble? "Like, why are you talking about this discovery as if it's a person? If it is, then it's not an 'it'." Shaggy said in a curt manner. The more he thought about it, the more curious he got to see who was behind those doors… And the more worried he got about this facility's so-called research.

"Relax, Mr. Rogers. I assure you that no one is in any danger here. I suppose we've kept our subject waiting long enough." the agent said as calmly as if Shaggy never tried to correct this statement. The agent turned and unlocked the double doors by pressing a numerical combination on a nearby keypad. A gentle click was heard and the agent pushed one of the doors open invitingly. Mystery Inc almost didn't want to go in, suddenly feeling like they were walking into a trap.

But in they went, Shaggy first, then the others. Lastly, their guide. The room was dark and what they could see was that the room was only as big as a conference room or something similar. The group was hit with a pungent stench, similar to body odor. But before anyone could gripe about the smell, the lights were turned on, causing all five mystery solvers to gasp and backpedal from the sight that greeted them.

Near the opposite wall was a person. At least it looked like she was a person at one point… On numerous displays arranged neatly like a museum display were limbs and body parts, disconnected neatly instead of looking like they were harshly chopped off or something. Two feet, two hands, legs, arms, a torso, and a head. The flesh seemed to have a dirty hue to it. The body was obviously female, if only because of the unclothed torso showing the quite obvious signs of womanhood.

"I apologize for the smell. We haven't had a chance to wash the parts recently. Anyways… Subject 381, wake up. We brought you company." The agent didn't sound too friendly with the apology nor the command. It was like he had previously argued with the 'subject'. Shaggy and Scooby stared at the head on display, a strong sense of familiarity rearing its head. They had seen that head somewhere before… and those body parts. Although Shaggy was sure he hadn't seem those parts so naked, he thought.

Slowly, as if tired, the eyes of the decapitated head opened, causing Shaggy and Scooby to jump backward with a shriek and a "Zoinks!". The head opened her eyes wider, knowing that catchphrase anywhere. "Coach…?" she asked in a raspy voice. "Is that really you? Or is this another trick…? Because I'm not telling them a damn thing…" she coughed out, frowning sourly. Shaggy and Scooby's memories were instantly jogged upon the title she had called Shaggy.

"…Elsa? Like, what the hell happened?!" Shaggy asked, his fright caving under his immediate concern and worry over one of his monster students/friends. "Wait, you know this… uhh…. woman?" Fred asked in surprise, evident that he would have said something else. Corpse? Zombie? Thing? Shaggy nodded, but indicated that Elsa could answer.

"Of course he knows me… He was my Coach at school. My favorite teacher too. Uh… I hope you're not disappointed that I can't give you a hug right now, Coach. I was a lot more put together back then…" Elsa callously joked, in case her sorrow wasn't already evident. Feeling bad, Shaggy gently grabbed the downtrodden head (her usual frizzy Bride Of Frankenstein-esque hairstyle even looked like it had went through the wringer), lifted it off her mantle, and held her up to eye level.

"Are you OK? Like, did they do anything to you besides…this?" Shaggy asked, taking a good look at Elsa's head. There didn't seem to be any major damage…aside from being un-sewn together, of course. Elsa sighed, which was amazing for a head that was detached from its lungs. "Not too bad. Mainly a little poking and prodding. Although it would have been better if they didn't poke around my privates those couple of times!" Elsa said with a stronger voice, her last comment directed more toward the government agent that was still in the room, guarding the exit.

"Merely part of research, Subject 381." was the simple response she got from Agent Smith.

The head quivered in Shaggy's hands. "That's not what a couple of your scientists thought that one time. And I told you before, my name is Elsa! E! L! S! A! How hard is that to remember?!"

"Wait, like, what?!" Shaggy asked, hoping he had heard wrong about the implication that somebody got a little too touchy-feely with Elsa's torso.

"Uh… That was a matter of complete unprofessionalism on the part of our Research and Development team, as I had told Subject 381 ("ELSA! Ugh!") before. The offending scientist has of course been…dealt with." Shaggy grew more uncomfortable with this situation the more he listened to Smith's explanations.

"Like, look, buddy. I don't know what your goal here is. But, like, I'm taking my friend out of here. I'm sorry, but you can't just hold people prisoner like this." Shaggy said, inwardly feeling like he needs about 10 Scooby Snacks.

"Of course we can and we do. We are the US Government. If you take Subject 381 from us, you will earn yourself a lifetime sentence in a federal prison. I should have known bringing you here would be trouble. But you are here and what's done is done. I must ask that you abandon any hope of leaving with your friend. Unless, of course, you don't mind 'moving in' here. Subject 381 could always use a good caretaker to help keep her clean and reasonable." Agent Smith drawled on. Mystery Inc as a whole were not sure whether to be glad or creeped out that the agent didn't throw in a cocky grin for emphasis…

"Like, whoa, man. Let's not get too hasty here. I'm not, like, trying to cause any trouble. But, it's just that… like… well…" he paused, as if trying to think of something. Suddenly, an idea struck. "I'm not sure how you discovered Elsa and caught her, but I know her parents, man. I'm sure they didn't like how their daughter, like, went missing. As her friend and former teacher, I do have a duty to inform them of where she is. And, like, if you remember the stories, Frankenstein and his wife are both pretty tough customers. I don't think I'd wanna be the one to, like, make them angry. Like, just saying…"

The agent scowled. "You wouldn't have the nerve, hippie." he said, dispensing with the professional formality. Shaggy frowned right back, clutching Elsa's head close in a stubborn grip. "Like, you're a kind of lawman, right? If you discovered a kidnapped teenager and she was the daughter of one of your friends, what would you do? Besides, like, what kinda goal are you aiming at anyway?"

"Guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you, as long as you keep your yaps shut about it. Mainly, we were trying to see how she was made, how tough the body is, and how we can utilize such a thing in our military. Of course, we could dispense with the whole 'chopped up' look, but the extremely high endurance of even the body parts individually… Can you imagine soldiers that are impervious to pain?"

Velma interjected before Shaggy could answer. "Yes, but mostly because plenty of pop-culture already utilizes such an idea for plotlines. Captain America, for instance. In reality, that's an idea that might still prove to be merely a pipe dream. Not doubting your agency's research skills, sir, but just being a realist about it. It is a risky proposition, especially when you get to the point of needing soldiers to test your findings out on. Is your agency well-funded to handle the consequences?"

"Money isn't an issue here, Ms. Dinkley." Of course, the agent would already know everyone's names… "As for test subjects, we still aren't close to that level yet, obviously. We've conducted tests and observations. Nothing too strenuous, obviously. But no conclusions as to how to get someone to that point yet."

Elsa snorted. "Pfft… Nothing too strenuous, he says… I've been shot at, had heavy weights placed on top of me, placed in a walk-in freezer, placed in a really hot room, held underwater for a long time, some goon swung a sledgehammer at me… Naturally, I handled all that without much of a problem, but still, some of that kinda hurt. And, of course, there's the fact that they undid all my stitches and refused to put me back together…"

That made Shaggy even angrier. Still nervous about the chance of federal retaliation, but enough was enough. "Like, I'm taking her out of here or her parents will come get her out of here the hard way. Alright? Elsa is not a 'subject' and she's not a guinea pig either!"

"Reah!" Scooby agreed. Then he paused. "Err… Rhat's a rinea rig?"

Agent Smith scowled again. This wasn't going the way he had hoped. It was supposed to be a visit, some chitchat, and done. Then again, the research should have yielded some workable results a while ago. It wasn't like he could arrest them if they left without doing anything and then informed the subject's legendary parents about the situation. The facility had the firepower, but he doubted that the battle would go without some sort of major damage, which would lead to major financial losses.

"Ugh… Alright, Mr. Rogers. Fine. We were behind schedule on the research anyway. You may collect your friend and leave. You meddling kids… Still, I suppose we have something to work with…" Agent Smith said, grumbling as he exited the room in defeat.

"Did we just… beat a government agency with logic and talking?" Daphne asked, starting to feel like she was in a surreal dream.

"I think we did, Daph. Way to go, Shaggy!" Fred answered, clapping a hand on Shaggy's back. The coward flinched at Fred's action, accidentally tossing Elsa's head upward. He quickly caught the head, who glared at him. "Uh… Sorry, Elsa…"

"It's ok. Um… Can we go now, Coach?"

After a half-hour of gathering Elsa's body and getting clearance to leave, the gang was driving off on their journey back home. Shaggy and Scooby sat in the back area of the van, already looking over Elsa's body to figure out how to reassemble the golem girl. It was awkward to examine her torso, especially after witnessing Daphne take said naked, womanly torso from Fred and rambling about how her boyfriend would 'get ideas'. Fred was left scratching his head in confusion. He was just trying to help.

It seemed easy enough to assemble her, at first. Just attach limb to stump and find something to connect them. But his examination (which caused Elsa to blush the more her Coach looked over her body) was interrupted by Daphne. "So, Shaggy… Want to explain why we had to save a… uhh… whatever-she-is from the Government?" Her question was genuinely curious, even if she sounded annoyed by the fact that they narrowly avoided a federal incident.

Shaggy had placed Elsa's head on her torso, which was leaned up on the wall of the van. He had it steady until the van hit a small bump and the torso fell over, the head rolling away, groaning all the way in annoyance. "Sorry, Elsa! Hmm… Like, you guys remember when Scoob and I went off on our own?"

The three other humans nodded. How could they forget the time that Shaggy and Fred butted heads over how they catch monsters. Could Shaggy really be blamed for getting tired of always being the bait?

"Well, like, we had a few adventures while we were gone. One of which was when I answered an ad in a local paper to be a gym teacher for an all-girls school. So we went and….what? What?" he trailed off, noticing the raised eyebrow of Daphne and the smug look on Fred's face in the rear-view mirror.

"An all-GIRLS school, Shaggy?" Daphne asked, her tone indicating imminent danger.

"Don't tell us you went to cruise on chicks, you sly dog." Fred added, chuckling. "You get older but the babes stay the same age, right?"

"Rog? Rhere?" Scooby asked, looking around.

"Guys, c'mon! Like, it wasn't like that!" Shaggy was completely flustered by the accusations. So what if it was an all-girls school? He wasn't a predator. Elsa, her head having been picked up by Velma, snickered.

"Oh, Coach. I think they're just….what's the expression? …Busting your balls." As Elsa spoke, Velma couldn't help but feel strange that she was holding a living decapitated head. Strange, but not scared, as the head proved to be a friendly sort.

"Alright, 'Teach', keep explaining." Daphne giggled. The idea of Shaggy sexually preying on school girls was as impossible as the idea of the Hex Girls switching formats to 'girly-girl pop'. It was just fun to pick on him sometimes.

"Jeez… Like, so we made arrangements and went over to the given address, but there was, like, a certain detail that they failed to mention to me. Like, it was a school for female monsters!"

"Hehe… We scared you good, didn't we? Always happened when a new human first met us." Elsa quipped, smiling fondly at the memory of the young coward's first encounter with her and her best friends. Fond, because of the kind of Coach that Shaggy turned out to be.

"I can imagine." Velma answered as memories of the few times where the monsters they encountered weren't criminals in costume crossed her mind. "Was Shaggy a good teacher?"

"A little jittery, but we got used to that. Or maybe he got used to us. Either way, I really liked him. He was funny and nice. I wish he could have stayed for more than one semester, though." Elsa remembered certain lessons that Shaggy and his dog ended up teaching, such as the dancing lesson when they put on ballerina tutus despite being male.

"Not a long-term job, huh Shaggy?" Fred asked. He had figured as such as Shaggy and Scooby's solo travels weren't too terribly long.

"Oh, he wasn't fired or anything. He was pretty intimidated by the next batch of students that were supposed to join us. So, he left. You should have stayed, Coach. You taught me a lot. Confidence, self-esteem… Ironically, bravery too." answered the head, a warm smile gracing her visage. Daphne and Velma chuckled pleasantly about the irony. "Our coward taught people how to be brave? Wow, Shaggy, you can do anything!" Daphne praised in a way that was a genuine compliment, but had a hint of a taunt.

As Shaggy went crimson under the kudos, Elsa continued. "I believe he can. There was this neighboring school next to ours, a military academy for human boys. They never liked us that much at first, so they would find ways to annoy us. A lot. Our feud was settled with a big game of volleyball. At first, before the game, we didn't think we could stand a chance against them, due to their continued bullying and the athletic prowess they naturally possess from their military-style physical training. But while Shaggy taught us, well… some things happened." she paused, choosing to refrain from recapping their encounter with the evil witch, Revolta. "We ended up learning to believe in our abilities and in each other, thanks to our favorite scaredy-cat. We ended up winning that game. Sweet vindication, at last."

"Like, don't give me all the credit, Elsa…" Shaggy modestly said in a soft voice, still blushing. "You ladies were amazing out there."

"Oh, no. You're not weaseling out of my thanks, Coach. We would have never won if you hadn't inspired us the way you did." If Elsa still had control of her body, she would have playfully slapped the awkward foodie upside the head.

"Wow, Shag. Looks like if you manage to inspire a woman our age to do something great, she might thank you 'personally', if you get what I mean." chuckled Fred, smirking as he drove the Mystery Machine. Velma chuckled as Daphne groaned. Elsa went silent for a minute, a thoughtful look on her face. She suspected that the blond man's innuendo was something sexual, which got her thinking about Shaggy in a way that she occasionally did over the time since he taught, even during her few months in forced captivity.

'I could give him that kind of thanks now… I'm not a student anymore and he did save me again. Maybe… Perhaps a few tests…' she thought as her head was passed back to the man of her hidden affections, the brown-haired woman apparently done examining her. She thought about her situation. Sure, her body had matured a bit, half naturally, half by her own handiwork as she was an artificial creation of flesh and had to do some of the modifications manually. Compared to the busty Winnie or the unnatural beauty of Sibella, Elsa still considered herself… rough in appearance. She contributed it to her father's genetic contributions. But at least her body had developed somewhat, with firm, bodybuilder-like C-cup breasts and womanly curves to go along with being unusually tall and pale.

In any case, there was still the matter of putting herself back together. But at least she had good help on hand. Her thoughts began to trail when Shaggy voiced a question. "Like, what happened to the others anyway, Elsa? Did you all graduate together?"

"Oh! Yes, we did. I think you might be amused at some of the events that happened after, from what I gathered before your species' government found me. Remember the Calloway Cadets I mentioned? Well, a couple of years after you left, they started to notice that we girls were developing into women. None of us appreciated their attempts to butter us up after all that time they spent bullying us previously. But we endured. At least, until graduation. They just up and disappeared after we sent them packing that last time. But after a couple of months, I heard what had happened to them. It turns out Sibella happened." Elsa trailed off, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Sibella?" Daphne asked.

"Vampire. She's friendly enough. Like, classy girl." Shaggy simply answered.

"Well, it turns out Sibella actually accepted their offer." Elsa stated bluntly.

"Like, what!?" he flinched, holding the head back at arm's length. At Shaggy's reaction, Elsa giggled. That man was always easy to get a reaction out of. She loved that.

"You didn't let me finish. She accepted their offer to date… on her terms. Two factors come into play when I say 'her terms'. First, how annoying they were the entire time we had known them. Secondly, the fact that she isn't just any vampire, but the daughter of Dracula himself. Such lineage often begets quite an array of abilities, don't you think?"

"Jinkies, Dracula's daughter… Wow." Velma mused, amazed at how many legends seemed to be more truth than fiction. First, Frankenstein, now this.

"Like, yeah, that's true… So what'd she do? Uhh, do we even want to know?" Shaggy said, quickly throwing in that last question as he sensed a vibe of a revenge story in the works.

"Well, one of her abilities is hypnotic suggestion. Part of how a vampire tends to work subtly rather than bluntly attacking. Enough of this influence and the user of the ability can render a victim's mind either theirs or useless. Let's just say that Sibella is now the queen of her own personal male harem. They wanted to date her, well… they GOT her. Or rather, SHE's got THEM. Heh… If you run into a group of five nearly-mindless soldier-thralls someday, Sibella won't be far behind. A little tip, just in case she wants to visit you." Elsa finished, chuckling darkly. She may not have considered her physical looks to be that of a beautiful person, but she would prefer someone who hadn't pushed her around unrepentantly for years before asking her out.

"Yikes! Remind us to never piss off a vampire." remarked Fred as he tried to imagine being some vampire's brainwashed servant. Not a pretty thought.

"Little Tanis was sad to discover that her father's pyramid had been ransacked for some museum back here in the states. She took half a year trying to track her father down, him having been sleeping in his sarcophagus when the humans took him and his valuables away. Long story short, that museum now has a pair of mummies as their night crew. No, they didn't take it over! Tanis, being the sweet girl that she is, simply asked where her father was and was led to him after proving to skeptical guards that she was quite undead. She liked how they set up their designated Egyptian Exhibit and asked if she could stay. Hey, free room and board. Why not, right?"

"Like, that's kinda neat. Sorry that Tanis had to, like, go through all that, though. Must have taken quite a bit of work to find her father." How could Shaggy not sympathize with the adorable little Egyptian?

"Yeah. I even helped out a little. Hmm… Phantasma, our ghostly friend, can't seem to find a home, last I heard. First, she tried New York City, having heard that the city has plenty of places involving music. She ended up running into a team called The Ghostbusters, who confused her with an evil spirit. She had to flee. Couple of weeks later, she landed in a small city called Amity Park, known to be one of the most haunted towns in America. If I remember her postcard correctly, she said she ended up in a feud with another musical she-ghost and was chasing after some ghost superhero guy. (1)"

"At least she found a place to haunt, right?" asked Shaggy as he looked at the bright side of the matter, the fact that Phantasma must have seen a lot of sights since graduating.

"More than that. You could kinda expect something like this from her, but I soon heard that she ended up starting a relationship with the superhero AND the other musical woman! Never expected her to be bisexual. Then again, I never expected a lot of things from that nut." If Elsa still had her head on her shoulders, she'd be shaking her head right about now.

"Sounds like a regular wild child. Then again, I suppose ghosts can be how they want to be." Daphne thought aloud. Shaggy's class certainly sounded like a bit of a handful. She began to wonder how he managed.

"Like, what about Winnie?" Shaggy asked as Scooby tried to neatly arrange the body parts on the floor, mapping out what goes where.

"Would you believe she's some town's resident crime-fighting vigilante. Cops don't exactly like her methods, but she definitely keeps the crime rate low. Even has a couple of arch-enemies, last I heard. Definitely suits her. That werewolf can't resist a good hunt."

"Hah. A regular Batgirl. I can dig it." chuckled Fred.

"Batgirl? Don't you mean Wolf Girl?" Elsa asked, confused by the blond's statement.

"Uh, Elsa, he's actually making a human superheroine reference." Shaggy pointed out. Elsa replied with a simple "Oh.".

"How are we going to put you back together?" Velma asked, watching Scooby line up the limbs with the torso. Elsa smiled.

"Oh, I'm sure Shaggy will do a fantastic job. All I'd mainly need is some durable thread to sew me up and a generator to charge me. Your authority seemed to fail to notice that I do require a charge now and then, like my father… Hmm… Perhaps they did and wanted me kept weak…"

"Like, whatever you need, Elsa." Shaggy agreed, absently placing her head on his lap and trying to straighten out the mess that was her hair. The artificial girl smiled as she felt Shaggy's hands running around her head and the light tugs of her hair being adjusted. It would be a challenge for him to get her hair exactly back to the way it was, but she didn't say anything to deter his efforts. She liked the feeling too much, even if the current predicament made her feel like nothing more than a sentient doll.

"So, Shaggy… Care to properly introduce me to your friends?" Elsa asked, remembering that there never was a proper introduction throughout the entire situation. Shaggy picked her up again. He pointed her at Velma first. "Well, you already had a close up of Velma Dinkley. I think you two would, like, get along great. She's our resident genius, always researching. Like, that's why she was looking you over. Always thinking."

"Nice to meet you, Elsa. Sorry it couldn't be under better circumstances." Velma said, giving a polite nod.

"Oh, don't worry. You guys rescued me, so I'd say this is a good circumstance."

Shaggy then moved Elsa so she was looking at Daphne. "And this is Daphne Blake. She's nice. Kinda opinionated. I think she'd still like to be some form of journalist. Like, she used to be a bit… danger-prone, though." Shaggy explained, joking about how Daphne used to be somewhat clumsy at times. The redhead frowned at the laid-back foodie.

"I swear, you guys never let me live that down. I'm not that ditzy anymore. Sigh… Anyways, a friend of Shaggy's is a friend of mine."

"I used to have times where I'd randomly fall apart myself." Elsa remarked, the fact that she was currently already fallen apart seemingly irrelevant. Daphne couldn't resist snickering at the joke.

Shaggy then aimed her head at Fred. "And, like, our driver is Fred Jones. He would be our fearless leader, so to speak. Even if we kinda just work as an equal team anyway. He could be considered, like, the muscle of this group." Shaggy then pulled Elsa's head close and whispered. "Just don't ask about the fact that he wears an ascot all year 'round. Dunno why, but he's, like, sensitive about that."

"I heard that." came Fred's answer.

"What? Like, how?"

"I didn't. I guessed and you walked right into it." Classic Shaggy moment, to be caught in a joke.

"Rusted." Scooby uttered, his signature laughter following.

"Sounds like I'll have fun here." Elsa said with a tone of finality. She doubted Shaggy would kick her out…

A few hours of a drive later, Elsa was brought into Shaggy's apartment, piece by piece. Elsa was amused by how Shaggy handled her bare torso, awkwardly carrying it with his hands on her sides and holding it slightly away from him to prevent inappropriate contact. An opportunity to tease her favorite Coach, as that was the final thing to be brought in and they were alone now…

"Ooh…" she moaned, her head on the dining room table as Shaggy brought in the torso. Shaggy stopped. "Like, is something wrong, Elsa?"

"Oh, no. Nothing really. It just feels really good." she answered, nonchalantly. Truth be told, she still couldn't feel anything beyond her head.

"Umm… What does?"

"The way you're holding me, Coach. I haven't been held like that before… Ya know, you could always give 'me' a hug while you're there." she suggested, giving him a wink. Shaggy's eyes widened, glancing at the limbless, headless womanly torso and then back at her head. Then back at the torso and then her head again. Then, he tried to speak.

"A hug? Like, how does that work like this? And, like, you're technically naked. Umm…" his face blushed when he brought up the nudity fact.

"So? I don't mind if it's just you, Coach." she assured, giving him what she hoped was a caring look. She realized quickly that she felt a lot less embarrassed about the forced nudity when it was just Shaggy looking at her womanly parts as opposed to his friends or those government goons. "Just wrap your arms around me like it's a pillow."

"Umm… Shouldn't we put you together first?" It was understandable for him to feel weird about such a request. Who hugs just a human torso? Necrophiliacs, maybe… "Oh, maybe. But I would really like a hug now." persisted Elsa, smiling. The game was afoot. What would her little guinea pig do in this experiment?

Shaggy could feel for the poor woman. After months of captivity and being reduced to nothing but a group of trophies on a federally-funded mantle, Elsa certainly did earn more than just a hug. He pondered if she was still a little distraught from her ordeal. It occurred to him that he should just give her what she wants, as it might help her start to feel better. And so, he drew the limbless body in close and wrapped her arms around it, growing nervous as he couldn't help but feel the presence of her firm breasts pressed up against his clothed chest. However, his arousal was offset by the close-up view of the stump that was Elsa's neck. Seeing the inner flesh of a body wasn't exactly thrilling for him, but he wasn't as disgusted, since he knew it was just how Elsa was. Although, there was still the matter of the smell….

"Oh, Coach… You feel so nice. And warm…" Elsa said, luring her target further into the false sense of comforting her.

"Thanks, Elsa… Like, I still think this is weird… But it's ok." Honest and well-meaning. Typical Shaggy, just like Elsa remembered. She smirked. Now it was time to see how far he could be willing to go.

"Um… Coach? Could you move your hand lower? Ya know, so you don't accidentally drop me." she asked innocently. Shaggy was hesitant, but did see her logic and complied, moving one of his hands lower down her back, but not by much.

"Lower, please." she prodded. The foodie began to look embarrassed as his hand rested at the small of her back. How timid her target was. "Coach, how are you supposed to hold me up? Get your hand down there." she ordered, snickering to herself.

"But…. Your ass?"

"Do you not like it? It was crafted to be like my mom's… But dad had to add a bit of himself to everything. So it's a little thick…" Elsa said, throwing in a fake pout for good measure.

Shaggy's face went red. What could he say to that? Where was this coming from? What the hell?

"Like, umm… uhh… Well… It's not that I…don't like it. Uh… It's…" he trailed off, feeling incredibly stupid. This was one of his students. And they just met after how many years? He felt wrong about the idea of copping a feel on somebody he still sees as a young student, even if she was technically legal now. But seeing her pout in the face of apparent rejection, he had to put his own personal doubts aside. His hand cupped her ass.

Elsa smiled, wishing she could feel the hand on her ass. So he could be coerced. But she could tell that he had his reservations. That was natural, given the fact that they had just met. Still, she could get a reaction out of him. Maybe he thought of her as attractive? She could hope. For now, back to business.

"Alright, Coach… You can put 'me' down now… I was kidding. I can't feel crap except my head until I'm put back together. I just… I felt like I really needed a hug or something… After being held prisoner for so long..." Elsa said, her mood deflated. "Putting me back together's going to take some time and…" She was interrupted when Shaggy gently placed her torso on a chair and picked her head up.

"Like, if you needed a hug, I could just hug your head." he suggested before doing just that, gently holding her head against his chest, his arms surrounding her. She wasn't expecting that, but she was pleased nonetheless. Again, classic Shaggy, caring for his student. If only she could change how he sees her. But for now, she would just enjoy her time with him and worry about her growing crush later.

Minutes after he gave her head a good hug, Shaggy began to get to work on putting her together. Fred had got out a portable generator for Elsa to use and Velma managed to get her hands on a good length of the surgical stitching wire normally used for closing wounds. He first decided to work on connecting her feet to her legs and then the legs to her torso in order to get through the awkwardness of having his hands be so close to her ass and crotch. When he completed the feet-to-legs and began on the legs-to-torso, Elsa was tempted to tease him again, but refrained from doing so, feeling that she had teased him enough. Instead, she kept to monitoring his progress and giving instruction.

As awkward and twitchy as Shaggy could get sometimes, Elsa was pleased to notice how careful Shaggy was when sewing her parts together. Nervous about messing up, however, she could also notice, due to the occasional groan or whimper from the focusing coward. Due to that, his progress was of the slow-and-steady variety. But she didn't mind. She waited months for her reassembly. What's a couple more hours?

There was, however, a delay when Shaggy noticed a little too late that he had sown her legs together the wrong way, the right leg on her left side and vice-versa. Shaggy facepalmed, criticizing his own rotten luck, while Elsa simply laughed pleasantly. Her hero, indeed.

After redoing the legs (finally), her hands and arms were next. Elsa couldn't resist the next opportunity to tease when he accidentally dropped her hand onto his lap, stump-side up, somehow looking like her fingers were resting against his crotch. "Uh, Coach? This isn't the time for that kind of thing, but we could always discuss it afterward." she taunted, winking at him again. Flustered, he quickly picked up her hand and resumed working, looking as innocent as possible. He began to wonder where Elsa learned sexual innuendos from.

The hands took a little effort due to trying to hold it in place while working, but he was thankful that there was a smaller circumference to cover with the sewing. Before he connected the arms to the torso, he took care of one minor detail. He dressed the body up with a pair of shorts and a short-sleeved t-shirt, decreasing the awkwardness on his end about knowing that one of his students was technically naked in his presence. Not that the view wasn't nice or anything. A part of him did think that her body type, as unique as it had developed into, was interesting. He recalled that she used to be as lanky as he was. Perhaps artificial girls had their own form of puberty… He wasn't sure. He quickly concluded his train of thought with the decision that Elsa looked good and resumed working before his musings could interfere with his work.

Still, Elsa couldn't resist a jab. "Am I that distracting, Coach?" she simply asked. Shaggy groaned, close to finishing her other arm. Eventually, all that was missing was her head. But Shaggy remembered something that had been bugging him the entire time, but had gotten used to: The body's stench. "Hmm… Hey Elsa, do you think I should, like…wash you or something? Or could you wait until you can move again and take a shower?" he asked awkwardly, almost feeling like he was taking care of a life-size doll.

"You might want to wash me yourself, Coach. After I'm charged up, the amount of electricity running through me would make it unsafe for me to come into contact with water for a while." Her tone was matter-of-fact. Odd, he could have sworn that she might have taken the chance to….

"Besides, I'm sure you could enjoy scrubbing me down. I guess that could be a reward for you." There it was. He really began to wonder about her. She had somewhat changed since the days of school… He wasn't sure if it was because of time changing a person, puberty, her lack of electricity, or the captivity possibly driving her a little crazy. He chalked it up to the situation and hoped that things would be alright after she was all put together and fully charged.

"Like, uhh… I guess. Sure." Shaggy said, resigning himself to just go with the flow. His friend would be fine in no time. He picked up the body gingerly and carried it to the bathroom, leaving the head on the table. "Gonna leave me here, huh? Alright." Elsa said casually before closing her eyes to rest a bit.

And so, there Shaggy was, a headless woman's body in a tub. Again, he knew it was just Elsa with her unique existence, so he didn't have any thoughts of feeling like some sort of weird serial killer or something. That didn't stop him from feeling a little strange about the situation, though. Turned on from the fact that the body was naked again? Probably. A little. Hesitant because this was his student? Definitely. Confused because of Elsa's behavior? Does he even have to ask himself that?

All he had to do was turn the water on, get the soap out, and scrub the body. Simple. No problem. Before turning the water on, he set the body up so that it sat up against the back end of the tub. He didn't think it was a good idea for water to get inside the open neck stump… How could Elsa survive being apart like this? Couldn't she get infected with open flesh like this? Shrugging the questions off, he started the water and let the tub fill a little with water, not letting the body get submerged because he had to scrub it.

After getting the body soaked by splashing water over it, he took a body sponge (conveniently borrowed from Daphne, who complained about the smell when they arrived) and got to work. Shaggy stayed focused on the task at hand at first. But his train of thought eventually took some turns…

'Alright… That's it… Gotta scrub… Man, those guys didn't exactly want to give her a bath, did they? Those jerks… Hmm… Didn't notice this mark before… Or that one… Is this where they shot her? Like, ugh! Not cool, man… But at least she's here now… Hmm… Her chest feels nice…. Like, wait… Focus, man! Scrub, scrub, scrub…. Yeah, like, these DO feel nice! Dammit, man! They're clean enough… Hmm… Her arms are pretty solid. Like, she's got super-strength, right? So that's not surprising…. Alright, time to go down south… Uhhhh…. Legs! Just go with the legs for now! Yeah, like, that's it… Long legs… Those must have been her mom's influence… Hmm…. Looks like those jerks did try and roast her…. Faint burn marks… Like, total bummer… Keep going! …And done there. Well… looks like I'm there…' Shaggy paused, having saved her privates for last. He still felt like he was invading her privacy. Even when he did have a girlfriend, they never showered together, so this felt new to him, on top of the bizarreness of the whole thing.

'Dammit, me, like, if she didn't trust you, would she have let you do this?' one part of his mind argued.

'Like she had a choice?' the other part countered. Good point.

'Ugh! Running away from monsters, like, I can understand. But you don't need a Scooby Snack to wash a woman's crotch. Like, you're strange, me. You had some fun with her boobs, so you're kinda already, like, past the point of no return here.'

Shaggy could admit to himself that, at times, he was indeed a strange man. His conscience had a point. And down he reached….

Elsa awoke to the sight of a headless body standing up and presented to her. It definitely looked cleaner. Her time there must have made her a mess with her getting used to it, as her skin tone seemed a shade brighter, more normal for her. Must had been a whole layer of crud on her...

"Wow, Coach! I look great! Well… for a girl that's spent months sitting on her ass, so to speak… Perhaps you and I should have some private gym classes to tone me up a little." Elsa said, pleased at her Coach's work.

"Haha… Like, we'll see. First, would you like me to wash your head too before I attach it?"

"Might as well. For all I know, there might be some junk in my hair from all they did to me. Ugh…" Elsa answered. She couldn't wait to get her disaster of hair back to normal.

Soon enough, her clean head was sewn back onto her body and she was hooked up to the portable generator via her neck bolts, ready to charge. With the flip of a switch, electricity started flowing into her, the sweet taste of high voltage a sorely missed sensation. "Awwww YEAAAAHHHH! The power! I feel the POWER! I missed this SO MUCH! Mmmmmmm! Thank you, Coach! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she shrieked and gasped, sounding more and more hyperactive by the second. Her whole body started to tremble with power as she began to feel familiar sensations. The sense of her hands touching anything… The feeling of her feet on the ground… The presence of the chair she was sitting in upon her back and ass… Control of her body was coming back to her.

As time went on, Elsa began to show signs of getting some sort of high off of the incoming volts. Mostly from the things she started to say… "Power! Sweet energy! I am not a head! I am beyond my head! My body…! Yes! I AM ME! ME IS I! Round is a shape BUT IT'S NOT ME ANYMORE! NO JARS FOR THIS HEAD! Hehehe! Oh my, I sound nuttier than PHANTASMA, BUT WHO CARES?! WHEEEHEHEHE! Oh, sweet electricity, how you motivate me so. LEMME COUNT THE WAYS! 1! 2! 3! 7! 45! 684! Pi! DONE!" She then leapt up from her chair and was about to do something when she stopped, sobering up immediately. She realized what she was doing. Moving…. She was moving. So used was she to her unwanted predicament that the fact that she was normal again managed to shake her out of her power-high.

"Coach! …..I can move…." She lifted an arm, slowly clenching and unclenching her fist, watching the miracle of movement. "I can move…!" Testing her dexterity, she reached up and unclipped the jumper cables on her neck bolts, the action in itself amazing her. Tears began welling up in her eyes. After all this time… True freedom again. Before she could stop herself, she lunged at the slightly-shorter man (well, shorter than her if you count her stuck-up hair) and fiercely clamped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"I can move! I can walk! I can even turn my head! Thank you so much, Coach! I…." she trailed off, sniffling. "You saved me….again. Truly…" Pulling her head back to look at Shaggy, she soon became embarrassed as he was blue in the face from her super-strength squeezing the air out of him. "AH! Coach!" she gasped, letting him go and backpedaling a few steps, tripping over the loose jumper cables, and falling down. "I'm sorry!" she cried as she sat up.

Panting heavily to catch his breath, Shaggy gave a silent thumbs-up. Elsa awkwardly got back up. When his breathing was relatively manageable, Shaggy tried speaking. "Like… It's ok, Elsa… You were… excited. That's all… I'm glad you're… like, complete again."

"Me too! Thank you." she said, smiling the biggest smile she'd given since before her capture. Shaggy felt a bit modest about her constant praise. He was just doing the right thing, nothing special. But he was satisfied with what he had done.

"So, uhh… Do I get to stay here, Coach?" A part of Shaggy had to have known that she would need a place to stay. Fortunately, he didn't mind.

Elsa became the newest member of Mystery Inc, making an interesting addition to the crime-busting faction. Her super-strength proved to be quite useful when dealing with 'monsters' whenever they had cases. Although that very power sometimes created some troublesome situations involving the authorities. They would sometimes have to explain why the captured criminal happened to suffer bad injuries. It was suspicious that the incidents always seemed to happen whenever a criminal manages to corner Shaggy specifically… Daphne and Velma knew better, women's intuition being what it is.

During their travels, Shaggy and Elsa would be constantly talking to each other (and Scooby, of course). But Elsa didn't just stick to Shaggy for company. The artificial woman found a kindred spirit in Velma in terms of a love for science and intellect. This made way for occasional 'girls nights' between the brainy duo and Daphne.

Velma and Elsa's friendship led to some ideas and innovations involving the golem's body. Mainly, it begat the ability for Elsa to control her body and/or individual body parts if she were to be headless again or if a hand came off or something. It led to some amusing pranks involving her hand(s) being like Thing from Addams Family or her headless body moving about. Shaggy wasn't amused one morning to find Elsa's headless body cozied up next to him when he woke up, due to not recognizing the body at first and freaking out about a murder victim. The conclusions one makes when he's only half-awake…

A couple of months since Elsa joined, Fred tried to get Shaggy to admit that he liked Elsa more than a friend/former student. There had to be a reason why the foodie preferred to be near her most of the time. Fred also noticed Elsa's 'subtle' attempts to get Shaggy's attention. Putting her hand on his, wearing outfits that reveal a bit of skin (but not too much), willingly trying his extreme food creations… The girl had something for Shaggy, the blond was sure of it. And it wouldn't hurt for Shaggy to get out there in the dating world.

Around the same time, the girls decided to start questioning Elsa about Shaggy, their intuition correctly suspecting her feelings for the coward since she began protecting him from criminals. At first, Elsa tried to assure them that she merely considered him to be a wonderful friend and teacher. But her bluff failed at the rolling eyes of Daphne and the knowing look of Velma. She folded. She expressed her worries that he might not see her romantically because of her appearance, comparing herself to Daphne, Velma, and other humans.

A couple of weeks of travel and mysteries went by until, finally, Elsa was bold enough to make a move. Velma and Daphne had assured her again and again that Shaggy wasn't the kind of man to focus only on outer appearances. They even made a point that a unique guy like him deserves a unique woman like her. And so, on that fateful night at another hotel, Elsa found herself outside the room of the hot tub that she knew Shaggy was enjoying his time in, trying to psych herself up.

Herself? Check. Bikini? Check. Shaggy in tub? Check. Courage? Still working on it…

Silently, she entered, the element of surprise being on her side as Shaggy wasn't facing her direction. She slowly approached, still a little unsure of how her crush would react to her feelings. But it's been a while and she was sure she had managed to at least get him to stop seeing her as a student with her occasional flirty gestures. So she had that going for her, maybe.

In moments, she was right behind him, standing just outside the tub. She could tell he was lightly dozing, the tub apparently doing wonders to relax him. Deciding against that cliché 'guess who' gag, she simply walked over and climbed into the tub to sit next to him, the sudden splashing rousing Shaggy from his rest. "Huh? Like, Elsa? Umm… Needed to relax too?" he asked, suddenly feeling a little exposed despite wearing his swim trunks.

"Yeah. I also wanted to talk…" she answered, feeling tense as the moment of truth drew closer.

"Like, what's up?" Shaggy asked, smiling. He had grown to enjoy their talks, Elsa's personality having matured to be more than what she used to be when he was her teacher. The artificial woman opened her mouth to speak, but then stopped herself. A moment passed and she tried again, but still remained silent. Shaggy noticed, the smile fading. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no. Nothing wrong, really… Just… I wanted to say something. Um… It's important." Elsa finally understood what it was like to be Tanis.

"You know you can, like, talk to me about anything, Elsa. I'm here for you." Shaggy said, reaching over and placing a hand on her shoulder. He noticed her bikini-covered chest, of course, but resisted the urge to gawk. Sure, he technically had seen her nude before and she had teased him from time to time with near-glimpses and peeks, but he still liked what he saw. Fred's cajoling had got him to admit to himself that he did have a crush on her. But, him being unsure if she meant anything with her occasional flirting, he was happy with being a close friend. Little did he know…

His touch was enough for her to do something. After a third failed attempt to put to words how she felt, she reached an arm over to him and, lightly using her super-strength, pulled the foodie over to him so that his body was over hers. Before Shaggy could ask what she was doing, she brought her mouth to his.

Electricity. That was what Shaggy felt as Elsa kissed him. Not high-voltage, of course. Perhaps a very minor buzz of it, considering what she was. Still, there was that metaphorical electricity that came with suddenly getting some action with a special someone. And that was what spurred him on as he began returning her kiss. After a couple of minutes, he broke the kiss, needing some air. Elsa slipped into the water, not expecting the kiss to break, but ecstatic. Having sunk into the tub a little, she had a sudden mischievous thought as she saw something under the water that interested her…

Shaggy was savoring the euphoria of the moment. She liked him. She wasn't just playing around with the flirty behavior. She genuinely liked him. He was suddenly jarred out of his thoughts by the feeling of something tugging at him. More specifically, tugging at his swim trunks. Wait… Didn't Elsa sink into the water a few seconds ago? His mental question quickly had an answer as he felt his semi-hard rod be enclosed in something nice and warm…and with one hell of a vacuum-like suction.

Zoinks! This girl isn't beating around the bush anymore!

About an hour later, Shaggy entered his room. His skin may be prune-like from all that time in the water and he hoped that what happened in there wouldn't render the hot tub too unsanitary… But it ranked right up there among the best moments of his life. And if there was any doubt of that, all he'd have to do was ask the unique, towel-clad beauty that carried him in her arms.

"Like, Elsa… You are… That was… Wow." he managed to utter. Elsa was his first. Not even Googie had brought up the topic of sex during their short-lived relationship. Understandably, he was still reeling from the experience.

"So… Does this mean I can be your girlfriend, Coach?" she asked as she placed him on his (no, their) bed. "Because I love you…" Directly to the point. Classic Elsa resurfaces.

"Like, I love you too, Elsa. Sure! Just… one thing?" he asked, gently pulling her onto the bed as she obliged to his direction. She ended up on her hands and knees, over his prone body, towel almost liable to slide off of her.

"Anything, Coach." She smiled at him, enjoying this position of being over him. Taking charge proved to be a very fun experience for her. Perhaps she could…perform some experiments with that?

"Just call me Shaggy. You know I'm, like, not your teacher anymore, Ms. Graduate." he snickered. As if to prove his point, he leaned up and planted a quick kiss, caught up in the thrill of a new relationship by way of a surge of playfulness.

"But I like calling you Coach… You did 'teach' me a few 'stretches' in that tub, you know." The smug look on her face told the story as she lowered herself down and gave him a quick kiss of her own.

"Have it your way, I guess. Like… This is going to take some getting used to." He said, pulling her back down as she was raising herself back up, wanting her to lie down on top of him.

"Thanks, Coach." she said, very much enjoying this position better.

"Well, if you like the nickname so much…"

"No, not that. Thanks…for accepting me…" Once again, Elsa felt a little shy, her former insecurities now seeming like a moment to look back and be somewhat embarrassed over. Shaggy looked a little somber, a few guesses as to what may had been on his new girl's mind.

"Like, I should be thanking you, Elsa. You might not see it like this, but you're amazing. You're smart, you're strong, you've got quite a fun side to you, you… don't laugh at me when I run away from monsters… Most women tend to not like a guy that runs from everything…" he trailed off.

"Stop it, Coach. You're braver than you think. Especially when it matters." she scolded, kissing him again. "Would I be where I am if you really were THAT chicken?"

He thought a moment. "….Guess not."

"My hero." she mock-praised.

The next morning, the pair revealed their new relationship to the others, who took the news with great relief. The others, in all honesty, couldn't stand much more of the two figuratively dancing around the issue. Even Scooby could sense the tension between them to the point of staying close to Velma or Daphne instead of Shaggy.

However, a new problem among the rest of Mystery Inc would soon present itself within the next few weeks. The odd sounds coming from their hotel room that sounded like Elsa commanding Shaggy to do things in bed while (what seems to be) dominating him. Shaggy didn't have any bruises on him every morning after or anything like that. Still, it was worth asking the couple about it.

"I thought I'd try something new… I wondered what it would be like to actually be in charge… I decided it'd make a worthy experiment. After extensive 'testing', I've come to the conclusion that Coach makes an excellent lover. Very obedient and eager. I'm sorry if I made too much noise…" Elsa hurriedly explained. Of course, she would feel like clamming up after the flaw of her experiment, noise, was pointed out.

"You're not… into bondage, are you? With the whips and handcuffs?" Velma hesitantly asked, feeling just as awkward.

"Oh, no! No. Why would I hurt my dear Coach? Never. He just lets me boss him around, that's all. Sometimes, I let him take up his old role of 'teacher' again and 'threaten' me with 'detention'…if you get what I mean…."

That effectively ended the conversation, the mental image of Shaggy spanking a schoolgirl-outfit-wearing Elsa being enough to make the others scramble for other topics to chat about.

"Oh! There is the couple of times where I let him do a little… generator-play… when it comes to fooling around when I need a charge…" Elsa quipped, snickering at her friends' discomfort.

"That's it! I'm never touching that portable generator again!" Fred declared.

Boy, was this relationship going to be fun!

A month later, Mystery Inc took a break from their travels. As such, Elsa officially moved into Shaggy and Scooby's apartment. As for work, Velma and Elsa teamed up to explore some of Elsa's scientific ideas to enjoy their time off of traveling and mystery-solving.

As for Shaggy, he started to hit the gym a little bit. Not that he needed it, because of his high metabolism and constant running from creeps. But he did want to build up a little muscle. Just a little. Mainly because Elsa could be quite a handful in bed when she really gets going… That strength of hers… Amazing, but dangerous during an orgasm!

Due to the fact that dating a girl like Elsa also meant performing maintenance on a girl like Elsa when she needed it (mostly because she enjoyed his assistance over doing it herself), Shaggy found work training as a mechanic while learning from Velma about the human anatomy. Sure, Elsa wasn't a robot by any means. Even so, the education and the paying job didn't hurt.

A year later, after another stint of traveling, Shaggy and Elsa decided to tie the knot. It was a small ceremony. A secretive one as well, as Elsa managed to find a way to get in touch with and invite not only her legendary parents, but the rest of Shaggy's class (including Sibella's mind-controlled Calloway "husbands", groaning away, as well as Phantasma's lovers, a pair of ghosts named Danny and Ember). Shaggy ended up being the victim of one more prank as an unwed man when Shaggy lifted up the strangely thick white veil covering Elsa's face to officially kiss the bride…only to see a mannequin head of Taylor Swift.

"Zoinks! Like, this isn't Elsa!" he cried out, his flinching causing the mannequin head to fall off Elsa's neck and roll around on the ground. The Ghouls present laughed at such a monstrous prank. An apologetic Tanis approached the altar, Elsa's head resting on a cushion that the mummy held in her hands. The head's black-n-white hair was actually let down and straightened out for the occasion. Of course, Elsa was having a ball with her prank, laughing.

"Oh, laugh it up…" Shaggy grumbled, a little annoyed. At his own wedding, for crying out loud…

"Prime opportunity, Coach. I couldn't resist." Elsa answered, grinning. She hoped somebody took a picture or got his reaction on a smartphone.

"Still, like, I'd rather take this mannequin head over that other one." he said as he picked her up off the cushion. She didn't get a chance to get indignant about being called a mannequin when he started kissing her, finally completing the wedding. Interesting picture, Shaggy kissing just a head. Almost like how they reconnected…

 **Author's Note:** Story 2 of this 5-part series is done! Although, I hope this is good. I think I mentioned somewhere before that I've recently been put in a spot in life where typing up fanfiction is one of the few options of entertainment I got. Not the only option, of course, but I've been meaning to type more anyway. So I guess this is kinda a new writing strategy for me right now, to just type, type, type, type what comes to me as I get inspired by something. Truth be told, I only had the beginning part of this one-shot as my idea. I wasn't sure where to go after getting Elsa out of Gov't hands. Hell, I'm not fully sure about how I got her out of there, Shaggy and Velma successfully talking down the agent. But there it is.

So, tell me… Is my new strategy working? Or am I better off just thinking and waiting for something to really inspire me and then type it up? Also, if anybody has suggestions as to the type of situations I could put Mystery Inc in to meet the next Ghoul, I would appreciate that as well.

Secondly, as for what I was thinking of Elsa's adult appearance, I was going for the possibility that, although she was just tall and Shaggy-thin in the Ghoul School movie, the fact that her parents include the hulking Frankenstein would mean that she would probably get some of her father's looks. A little thick, a little solid, but still womanly, that kinda thing… I mean, she kinda does have some of her father in her face, for one… *pauses awkwardly, then shrugs, wondering if anybody knows what I'm talking about*

Footnotes: 1) So, Phantasma meets Danny Phantom. Not an original idea, actually. I based that reference around an old Scooby fanfic on here that was incomplete but I enjoyed the first couple of chapters of. Wish they continued it… It was called "Scooby Doo and the Grimwood Girls" by someone with the pen name of "Blood Brandy", although the summary claims it was a collaborative work. A shame they stopped after Chapter 2… As for the fact that I'm using Danny and Ember instead of DP's canon pairing of Danny and Sam, well… in case my DP fics hadn't made it obvious, I ship Danny/Ember. I do like Sam though.

Review Replies:

The Keeper Of Worlds – I think I threw a curveball by doing Elsa this time… But the idea of Elsa being caught/experimented on by the government suddenly came upon me and I started typing before I lost the idea. Lol. Hope ya liked where I went with it, though.

DarkShadowRaven – My thoughts exactly about different situations, as you can tell by this chapter. As for Elsa's personality, I wanted to maintain her penchant for intelligence, but also show that growing up a bit can change someone sometimes, as from what I recall of the movie, she was kinda the "blunt Captain Obvious" of the group (Correct me if I'm wrong. It's been ages since I actually seen the movie… Relying on memories and Wiki). Thought Elsa could have gained a bit of a fun side between then and when Shaggy meets her again.

nightmaster000 – You got it! Lol.

364Wii – Well, in my stories, it'd have been a few years since Shaggy taught. At the least, Tanis would be a relatively short woman, I imagine.

HotelKatz –Damn, I totally should have done that! Argh! Missed opportunity… Lol.

Highline, Ninja Man, and KOTG – As you can tell, I'm going with the 5-story series idea!


	3. Phantasma

Disclaimer: If I did own any intellectual properties, wouldn't I be making this an official canon story instead of fanfiction?

Right off the bat, I'd like to thank The Keeper Of Worlds for the plot idea for how Mystery Inc meets our next girl. I hope this satisfies!

Meet My Student: Phantasma

Business was slow for Mystery Inc throughout the past two months. No monsters, no creeps in costume, not much to do in Coolsville for money, aside from normal crimes and mysteries that the town's police force normally did not like outside interference with. Even Velma was itching for some criminal to give her a challenge and that was certainly unlike her.

For Shaggy and Scooby, however, it was a vacation. A break from having to run for their lives and face their fears. Some time away from weirdos and monsters. It was relaxing to actually go to Coolsville's local hangouts and just do whatever. Some games at an arcade here, jamming out to local musicians there, eating wherever…

But, like a lot of good things, it would soon be interrupted by the ghostly hand of fate. Oh, and three ghosts too….

The landline phone rang incessantly in the Mystery Inc Office of the gang's apartment building. A rare occurrence in this new time of constant cell phone use, but then again, it was their business line. However, no one had been in the office yet, so it kept ringing until Velma finally entered, planning to do some research on her computer. Noticing the ringing phone and hoping that the poor caller hadn't been waiting long, she quickly rushed over to the desk and answered the phone.

"Hello! Mystery Inc. This is Velma speaking. How may I help you today?"

"Nyuk nyuk nyuk! Hey there! About time ya answered. We were just dying to get a hold of somebody. Hehe…" the voice on the other line answered, sounding a little hyperactive. Velma got indignant.

"Well, jinkies, you don't have to be rude about it, sir. I apologize for the delay. Now what seems to be the problem?" she asked, getting down to business. She understood that some callers might be under pressure from whatever situation they might have found themselves in.

"Not a problem with us, I assure ya. But it's about someone we know. Hey, is Shaggy Rogers available? I'd like to talk to him about this." the voice replied.

"Shaggy? Why, yes. He's in his apartment right now. I could get him for you. May I ask what this is about?"

"You may. But I'm not sure if I should tell. It is mainly his problem. Well, NOW it's his problem. It was originally HER problem. Then it became OUR problem. We're pretty sure he can help solve it, so it's HIS problem."

Despite liking a good mystery, she tended to get annoyed when a caller went all cryptic like this. Even mysteries need basic information in order for her to begin solving it. "Sigh… Alright. Give me a minute to get him. Hold, please." she said before placing the phone down on the desk, still off the hook.

It actually took about 5 minutes for Velma to go up to Shaggy's place and fetch him, but even so, Shaggy obliged. He picked up the phone. "Like, hello. Shaggy speaking."

"YO! Shaggy! It's been ages! How the hell are ya?!" a cheerful but familiar voice asked. Where the heck had he heard it before. Shaggy couldn't tell just yet.

"Like, hi? Umm… I'm good, I guess? Uhh… You?"

"Good, good. Ya know, you never stopped by the ol' mansion of yours to see how we're doin'. Kinda gettin' the impression ya don't like us anymore." the voice answered, snickering. He didn't sound threatening or anything, at least. Mansion? Since when did he have…? Oh wait…

"Uhh… Well, I've been pretty busy… Like, we've travelled so much, I've haven't had the chance to visit a lot of old friends…" Shaggy said, not wanting to offend the caller by admitting that he couldn't remember exactly who he is yet.

"Oh, I can tell… Trust me, pal. I know what ya mean. Hell, that's one reason why I'm callin', man. Ya see, we gots a problem here."

"Gulp… A problem? Like, is it a monster or somethin'?" he asked, nervous. Why else would people call Mystery Inc about a problem?

"Not monsters, really. More like ghosts. Well, one ghost… Just one." the voice said flippantly.

"Ok… Like, what's he doing?"

"She, actually. And ya don't have to worry about being in danger when ya come down here to help. It's more like what she's NOT doing. She's not being herself, man."

"Like, what do you mean?"

"Well, she used to be all happy and flighty and chaotic. Tons of fun, that one. She'd cause quite a mess sometimes whenever she visits. But then she stopped visiting… We got worried, so we went to find her. Well… We found her alright… We think she's having a…. what's it called…? A mid-death crisis? Something like that… Anyways, we found out that she knows ya, so I figured you could come down here and cheer her up, man. Could ya do that for us? Please?"

Ghost? A female ghost? That knows him? That mental rolodex of his was rolling, trying to come up with who that could be. Not to mention, who this caller was…

"Um… Like, I'm sorry to hear that about her. So… Where shall we go if I were to help out?"

"Are ya kiddin' me?! Your mansion, of course. Ya DO remember it, right? The Beauregard Mansion? Down in Louisiana? Jeez, ya gave it to us for helpin' ya bust that loser that wanted the treasure. Wow, how busy have ya been?!"

Now that jogged his memory. "Like, is this…. The Boo Brothers?"

"Well, one outta three ain't bad. Can ya guess which one? Nyuk nyuk nyuk!" the ghost asked, snickering.

"Umm…. Is it…. Shreako?"

"Lookit the brain on this one! Correct, man! Anyways, you come down here and help us out with our cousin, man. She needs a good boost. If she don't get it…. Well… I've heard that ghosts can just fade into nonexistence for believing too much that they have no purpose or no unfinished business or somethin'… Ya gotta help, man."

"Your cousin? Well… I guess I can try. You say I know her?"

"I certainly hope you haven't forgotten her too, man. But yeah, she knows you. Claims ya taught her at school, man. She told us about you when she graduated, back when she was happier. Man, I dunno what happened to bring her down so much… But if you could bring her back, we'd be grateful. Seriously." Shreako trailed off.

"Sigh… Like… Alright, I'll come down… Within the week."

"Thanks, man! Much appreciated! Hey, I'll see ya when ya get here. I trust ya remember where the mansion is. Should be able to GPS it. Freako found a way to get this place on the wi-fi or whatever that gimmick shnabitz is called. Later, man!" With that, Shreako hung up before Shaggy could respond.

So much for that vacation. At the least, there shouldn't be any danger, if what the Boo Brother said was true about the situation.

Fast forward three days to the Mystery Machine driving through a dirt-and-mud path somewhere deep in Louisiana, close to the Beauregard Mansion. The rest of the gang were amicable toward going on another case, but had to ask about the specifics when Shaggy told them what's up. Daphne was skeptical that actual ghosts would call them, of all people, to help deal with other ghosts. There was the chance that it could be some sort of trap. But Shaggy had dispelled any doubts by telling his story about inheriting his late uncle Beauregard's mansion and the chaos that happened because of it.

Soon enough, the old, run-down mansion came into view. Three pale figures were floating around on the porch. One hovering in place while the other two floated around him in a circle, all looking like they were impatiently waiting for something.

"Like, that's them… The Boo Brothers. Huh… Looks like they haven't changed a bit." Shaggy remarked as he noticed Meako and Shreako accidentally pass through each other, Shreako slapping Meako as a reaction. The three ghosts even still had their respective head gear of a green aviator helmet (Shreako), a red backward baseball cap (Meako), and a yellow park ranger's hat (Freako).

Fred turned and parked the Mystery Machine near the porch, getting the attention of the three ghosts, who immediately floated over and stuck their heads through the passenger side wall of the van that faced them to see who their guests were. Upon seeing Shaggy, the trio cheered up in a united whoop of "You're here!/About time!/Welcome back!". Understandably, the three other humans flinched nervously. Shaggy had failed to mention their impulse behavior…

After the gang exited the vehicle, Shaggy introduced them to his personal three stooges, although the trio had to cut into their friend's introduction with a jovial "We're the Boo Brothers!" before instantly degenerating into a session of slapping each other around when Freako accidentally put an arm through Shreako.

"Shouldn't you stop them, Shaggy?" Daphne asked, hoping the new acquaintances don't get upset.

"Like, meh… This is normal." Shaggy said with a bored expression. "Guys! Like, where's Phantasma?" During the ride down, he had remembered the only ghost girl that he had known that was actually friendly toward him. At the mention of their cousin, the slap-fest stopped and the three noticeably turned depressed.

"Right, right… Yeah… This way, man…" Shreako said, phasing through a nearby wall into the mansion. When Mystery Inc entered the mansion and tried following Shreako (who had phased through the ceiling to the next floor, leaving them to find the stairs the hard way), they heard a loud, mournful wail, slightly muffled by the walls and ceiling.

"That… sounds like our girl…" Fred said, the wail having unnerved him.

"You sure you know her, Shaggy?" Daphne asked, also scared and forced to carry a scared Scooby who had jumped into her arms. Shaggy nodded. Even he was disturbed by the sound of his former student. Must be a ghostly ability…

It took them a little while to find a stairway and get upstairs, the broken-down mansion being fairly sizable. Within that time, the wail was heard two more times, freaking everyone out again. The third wail helped them narrow down which room on the second floor she could be lurking in. The furthest bedroom from them.

Shaggy carefully opened the door to see, amongst the old furniture and décor, Shreako at a corner of the room, trying to console a young woman that Shaggy immediately recognized despite her back facing him, due to her blue skin tone and thick blue-and-white hair. She was more transparent than he had ever seen her. Perhaps she was fading away already. Phantasma was sobbing.

"Like… Phantasma?" Shaggy greeted nervously. The sobbing immediately stopped, reduced to sniffles. "Hey there… It's me. Shaggy. Uhh… I hear you've been feeling a little down." Before he could continue, a blue and white blur tackled Shaggy as Phantasma wrapped herself around him, her face buried in his chest as she let out even more sobs. The rest of Mystery Inc looked on as their friend awkwardly tried to comfort the ghost girl, his hands going through her due to her weak state. Strange how she could touch him, though.

Eventually, Phantasma calmed down enough to try to talk. "Coach… You came... for me?" she said quietly, completely opposite from the loud and boisterous self that Shaggy had taught. "Like, of course I did. Your cousins managed to, like, get in touch with me and told me what was happening, so we came over." After a long, snotty sniffle, Phantasma let out a couple of light giggles. "Oh, those guys… Always worrying… But I should thank them, since you're here now. But…. Sigh… I'm not sure how much you can really help me… It's a…ghost problem…" she said, at first sounding thankful but then resuming her gloom.

"Maybe you could, like, tell us what's got you this way?" It was then that Phantasma noticed that he was using a plural form instead of indicating just him. At first, she thought that he meant Scooby, as her Coach always at least had the big dog with him. But when she looked around, she finally noticed the three unknown humans accompanying the familiar dog. "Oh? ….Are these… friends?"

"My friends, yes. When your cousins called, one of my friends answered. And I would have ended up telling then anyway since, like, the vehicle we use isn't my van. Besides, I figured it'd be nice to introduce them to you." At that, Phantasma untangled herself from her former teacher and floated toward the humans for a closer look. "Hmm…." She looked them over like a shopper taking a good look at an interesting item. The humans silently agreed that she looked like she had been crying nonstop for a long while, with bags under her eyes and a very snotty nose.

"They look nice… Are they as cool as you?" she asked, hovering around the other four Mystery Inc members like a roaming balloon.

"Uhh… Well, I'm not sure about me being cool, but they're good people." Shaggy modestly replied, watching his gloomy student's actions. Phanty stopped moving in front of Fred and stuck a hand out. "Um… Hi. I'm Phantasma Phantom…"

"I'm Fred Jones. Uh… Nice to meet you." he said, trying to shake her hand, but the hand went through hers.

"Hi. I'm Phantasma Phantom…" she repeated after moving toward Daphne. "Hello. Daphne Blake. I hope we can help." the redhead answered, attempting to shake her hand, but ends up miming a handshake when Phantasma just shrugged and moved her hand up and down when the human's hand was inside hers. "Thank you." the ghost solemnly said before moving to Velma. "Hi. I'm Phantasma Phantom…"

"Velma Dinkley. So… you're a friend of Shaggy's?"

"He was my Coach at my school. He was wonderful to us, despite us not being human, like he thought we'd be… It's a long story…"

"Like, I'll tell it to ya a little later. But perhaps we should focus on Phanty. Man, I've never seen you this dim before… Your cousins said something about a 'mid-death crisis'?" Shaggy took over, his concern and curiosity reaching its peak as he had not noticed one sign of the loud girl's normal cheery behavior whatsoever.

"I guess that's one way to call it…" Phanty said, deflating again as she floated over to Shaggy and gently wrapped herself around him until she looked like a ghostly backpack on him. "Ever since we graduated school, I've done some traveling… I don't exactly have an actual place to haunt, so I took to wandering around. Ya know, seeing the sights and looking at humans and everything… It was fun for a while. Lotsa neat stuff… Especially music stuff… I love music stuff… Ever haunted the Grand Ole Opry before? That was a scream that one time…" She said, a few sad snickers following at the mention of a more-pleasant memory.

"But lately… I've been seeing something. You ever feel like you don't know you need something until you actually realize that you need it? And by then, it might be too late? So you're all like 'CRAAAAAP!'?" she asked, suddenly getting loud at her interpretation of a reaction, causing everyone (especially Shaggy, since he was point-blank) to cover their ringing ears.

"Ouch… Ears…. Grr… Like, yeah, I know what you mean." Shaggy answered, remaining as calm as he can, not wanting to depress her further.

"Umm… I've seen some of you humans… together…" she said, her face going red before she buries it in Shaggy's neck.

"Together? Like how?"

"Ya know… A man and a woman… together…"

Everyone suddenly grew awkward. "Wait… So you've peeked at people having sex?!" Fred asked, deciding to be the one to be blunt about it. Phantasma let out an 'Eep!' before burying her face again.

"Oh, no! Not like that, no! Well… There was one time…. But that was by accident when I was flying through hotel rooms one night… But intentionally, no. But, what I mean is… well… couples doing couple-y stuff… Hanging out, holding hands, having a nice meal, having kids…. Uhh, not like that! You know, seeing families and ya know that the guy and girl have been together a long time…" she trailed off. Phantasma had never been one for feeling like she put her foot in her mouth, no matter what she said. This had been a first, at least, a first that Shaggy noticed.

"I realized that I need a companion… A romantic companion…" she blurted out, going silent as she buried her face in Shaggy's neck again, this time managing to be embarrassed enough to accidentally phase her face inside him. "Yaah! That's cold, Phantasma!" Shaggy shrieked, surprised by her actions. Phantasma shrieked herself, drawing herself out of Shaggy, red with more embarrassment. "Sorry, Shaggy!" she said, her head leaned back, but refusing to let go of her clingy grip on him.

"Like, no harm done. So… you're, like, lonely?" Shaggy asked. He understood that feeling. All he had was a short relationship with that blonde, Googie. Two short relationships if he counted that redneck stalker chick, Sadie-Mae, that he had to deal with the last time he was at the Beauregard Mansion. He suddenly began wondering if she was still around and if she remembered him…. He gulped at the thought.

"Very… Do you know how hard it is for a ghost to find a spouse when they're a ghost? It's one thing if I had found love when I was alive and I could be with him after we both die… But looking for love now? Sure, there's a fair amount of ghosts around… But most of them are too fixated on their obsession to be relatable. And then there's the corrupt ones… It's too late for those poor souls, they're too much like 'Kill! Kill! Kill!' and all that… And then there's those that just think you're too loony to date…" she began sobbing a little again at that. Clearly, she had been rejected a few times. Shaggy imagined that either she had come on too strong a couple of times, knowing her, and gotten harshly turned down or some guys had been real jerks. Perhaps both…

"What's wrong with me, Shaggy? Am I that insane? Or ugly? What if needing love is my obsession? I always thought my music was my obsession… But I feel so horribly alone… It hurts… Tell me, please… Am I dateable…? Be honest…" she griped, her grip on him tightening as she began to quiver with sobs again.

"Oh, the poor thing…" Daphne said, feeling terrible at the ghost's predicament. She knew a couple of lady friends in a similar quandary, but having to deal with that as a ghost? For possibly all eternity?

"Like, Phanty, it'll be alright. You're not a bad girl at all." Shaggy put forth, not having much experience with comforting women about such a topic. Phanty shifted herself around so that she was clinging to Shaggy's front and she was looking at him face to face. "Really, Shaggy? Am I not too loud and shrill? Am I not a horrible singer…?" she said, more mad at herself than at him.

"Phanty, please… Who, like, told you that load of garbage?"

"….Guys I liked… that I thought liked me… It always ended the same way… Me getting told I'm….psycho… or creepy…. or ugly… Nobody loves a ghost…" Was it Shaggy or did Phantasma seem to get even dimmer. He had to do something.

"Phantasma, those guys were jerks. You're not creepy or ugly or anything."

"You're just trying to butter me up…" Phantasma sniffled.

"No, I'm not. Like, I think you're pretty."

"….Really?"

"Yeah. And I think you're, like, very nice. You're not crazy. You're just… really energetic. I don't think there's anything wrong with that."

"...There's something wrong with me somehow… Nobody wants to date me…"

"Oh, that's not true."

Phantasma suddenly glared in Shaggy's face. "Name one guy that would! ONE!"

"I….Uh…! Err! Um! Uh!" Shaggy stammered. What could he say? He didn't know THAT many people. Most of his friends were humans. Who would be willing to date a ghost? "I'm waiting…" Phantasma said, her glare slowly giving way to depression again. Velma and Daphne could sense their friend's panic a mile away.

"He's gonna crack…" Daphne whispered worriedly to Velma.

"I just hope this doesn't lead to something regretful…" Velma whispered back.

"You can't even name one guy…" Phantasma moped, her head sinking and her grip weakening. She dimmed even more. "I have no purpose… Nobody wants me… I'm just… Why am I even—"

"I'd date you!" Shaggy declared, frantically trying to gather her up in his arms despite her complete transparency. Phanty's head shot up in surprise. "Wh… What?" she asked in a soft voice.

"I'd date you… I mean, like, I know I was your teacher and that might feel a little weird, but… I would love to take you out… if you want to… I mean, you're not worthless. Like, please don't ever think that nobody cares... Your cousins care about you. So do I. So… let's go out." he said, finishing lamely. He was sure that his statement sounded pretty foolish to everyone else, even though he was genuine about people caring. Shreako, catching Phanty's eye, frantically nodded and gave her a thumbs-up, hoping that she would take the chance to cheer up.

"You're not just trying to get me to stay, are you…? You actually want to get to know me better…? Really-really? Because it would be SOOOOO devastating if it turned out you're just stringing me along. I mean, I do think you were the best teacher a girl could ask for, not to mention, the nicest guy…" Phantasma said, brightening just a little. Velma and Daphne glanced at each other. 'Yup… He cracked…' they simultaneously thought. Leave it to Shaggy to be put in a position where a down-on-her-luck woman's (after)life was completely in his hands and his grip on it was extremely precarious….

Fred cut in. "Uh, Ms. Phantasma, could we speak to our friend for just a minute before your big date?" he asked urgently, a cheesy fake smile on. Shaggy raised an eyebrow. Phantasma, slightly better, nodded. Fred grabbed Shaggy by the back of his shirt and dragged him into another room, the other humans and dog following.

They spoke in quiet, low voices. "Shaggy, are you out of your mind?!" Fred started with a harsh whisper. "This girl obviously has you placed on a high pedestal and you're just going to take her on some sort of pity-date? What happens if she grows feelings for you and you show that it was only to cheer her up? Do you have ANY idea how hurt she might be, being rejected yet again?"

"Like, what else was I supposed to do, man?! If a ghost feels too much that they have no reason to exist, then they stop existing! And you saw her, Fred. She was fading out, fast! You want me to just stand back and, like, let her die again?!" Shaggy fired back, careful not to raise his voice any.

"Now hold on a minute, guys. Shaggy has a point. He only did what he could to save her life… uh, I mean, existence? I think? Oh, you know what I mean!" Daphne flustered. "Even so, you did corner yourself, Shaggy. You gotta find a way to get this Phantasma back to whatever her normal attitude was and get her mind completely off her troubles. I imagine that might be a challenge, if we are dealing with a ghostly obsession…"

"Shaggy, what's your opinion of Phantasma? Uh, when she was normal, I mean." Velma simply asked, not wanting to add more fuel to the argument with her own concerns.

"Like, that was years ago… But she was a nice girl. Hyperactive all the time, though. And eccentric. But, like, she usually meant well and was pretty funny, once you got used to her brand of attitude. It's not surprising that not many would want to date her on their first impression of her, but she could get someone. Like, a guy just has to actually stick around and get to know her past her crazy exterior." Shaggy answered, memories of his time at Grimwood passing by his head.

"Riamond in the rough…" Scooby muttered.

"Like, yeah. Something like that."

"Jinkies. Well, you seem to like her ok. It's a start."

"A start to what, Velma?" Shaggy asked, tilting his head.

"Building her back up, of course. You two go out on a nice date. You get to know her better. It doesn't have to get super-romantic if you don't want to. Ask her about things about herself that she might not have brought up when you knew her before. Give positive feedback. Tell bits and pieces of yourself too, when appropriate. Do it the right way and she might be happy with friendship. Heck, you could even show her how to properly talk to a guy she likes, as I assume her supposed hyperactivity was always on display when she did try to hit on someone. Not always the best way to introduce yourself…" Velma strategized. Good ol' Velma, always coming up with ideas.

"Like, and if she keeps pressing me about romance…?" Shaggy asked.

"Roll with it." Velma answered bluntly. ALMOST always coming up with ideas… "Sorry, but Fred did have a point. Perhaps there will be an opportunity for you to convince her otherwise without hurting her."

Shaggy raised his hands in resignation. "Alright. Like, it shouldn't be a problem. I'll go tell her the good news. Perhaps, like, a dinner and a movie might be a good plan."

Phantasma floated in place where Shaggy had left her, not wanting to disappoint her favorite teacher by eavesdropping. Shreako, on the other hand, came back just as Shaggy had got done talking with the others. A part of the loopy Brother could understand why the other humans had reservations about Shaggy being willing to take his cousin on what indeed seemed like a 'pity-date'. But he wouldn't mention that to Phantasma. He decided that he wasn't going to tell the other two goofs he called brothers either, in case they blew it again like the trio seemed to do often.

"Hey, cuz! Good news! Ya got a hot date tonight!" Shreako said as he phased in. "The others were just… giving him a pep talk, that's all." He added as a familiar smile started to form on Phantasma's face. It wasn't her full grin, but it was a sign that the news had started to improve her mood. She became somewhat more solid again.

"Oh, that's wonderful! I knew he liked me… As a student, anyway. But I wonder if I can get him to like-like me. He always seemed to understand me in school, even if he is a scaredy-cat. Maybe he knew a few other loonies before me…" Phanty mused, sounding a little like her old happy self. Shreako rolled his eyes at her last statement, also recalling the blonde stalker hillbilly girl that Shaggy was frightened of years ago.

"Yeah, I'm sure you two will have a nice time." Shreako said right before Shaggy and the others walked in. The foodie didn't even get two steps in before an excited Phantasma was in his face again.

"Shaggy! Shreako just told me the great news! I'm glad you actually want to go out with me. Ooh, this is going to be fang-tastic! Aww… Saying that suddenly makes me miss Sibella. Oh well! What did you have in mind for our date?" she asked, backing up a tiny bit to give him some space. Shreako gave Shaggy the 'a-ok' hand gesture with a wink while Phanty's attention wasn't on him, showing that he had overheard but wouldn't tell her what was really up.

Shaggy took a moment to think, noticing how the ghost girl had changed over the time since school, now that she wasn't as distraught. She still looked a bit tired, but other than that, her face had matured into young-womanhood. Her expressive mouth, usually turned upward in a crazed-looking wide grin, had developed a pair of lips that Shaggy had to admit looked fairly kissable. Her hair was longer, the front swath of her 'do almost completely covering one of her eyes. She gave up the simple one-piece dress for a blue tank top and daisy dukes, revealing her petite figure. She kept her white heeled boots, though.

"Like, how do you feel about dinner and a movie?"

"Pretty standard… but me likey anyway. It'll be new to me! There's a ton of movies I haven't seen before. Busy doing ghost stuff. Like, you know… being a ghost! And there was school, of course. Ms. G. didn't exactly have a movie collection laying around. Are there any good ghost movies? I'd like to see some kickass ghosts. Umm… If that's OK with you, Shaggy." Phanty rambled energetically, looking like she was hopping up and down in excitement despite her actually hovering.

"Sure, uhh… no problem. Like, you'll have to travel with us to get to town, since we only have our one van and this place is a bit outta the way." Shaggy informed, to which Phanty giggled in response.

"That's cool. It'll gimme a chance to get to know your friends a little. It's so nice to meet other humans! Well, usually… I didn't really like those ones that live near here. A little too shoot-y for me. But your friends seem good. I mean, you know them, so they must be good!" the ghost gushed, the familiar crazed-looking grin finally adorning her face. The grin was unsettling to Fred, Daphne, and Velma. But the trio quickly figured that if Shaggy, the resident chicken, trusted and befriended her, then there was no threat.

Shaggy shuddered, again remembering the kiss-crazy blonde and her gun-crazy friend. Good thing they weren't going to stay long. "Uhh, yeah. They're good people when ya get to know 'em." Shaggy remarked as Phantasma clung to him in a rush of glee. He was glad that the ghost was on the right track back to normal.

"Let's get going! Now that there's something good going on, I'm tired of this li'l ol' mansion." she declared as she used her flight power to lift herself and Shaggy up and through the opposite wall that led outside. Of course, Shaggy got a little frightened by the sudden trip, the feeling of phasing through a wall was strange. Shaggy thought he was going to hit it but then suddenly, briefly, sees the insides of the wall and then the other side. Freaky…

Phantasma lowered Shaggy to the ground near the van, Freako and Meako apparently fighting about something. Shrieko phased through the wall near them and slapped them upside the head. "Howdy, y'all!" Phanty greeted, waving to her cousins. Seeing her cheerful and back to her normal healthy transparency, the three bumbling ghosts flew over and captured her in a clumsy group hug, which was the sight that greeted the rest of Mystery Inc when they came through the front door.

As the humans and dog walked over, the ghosts broke away and faced Shaggy. Freako took the opportunity to speak. "Whaddya know? Once again, ya help us out, Shaggy. I dunno what it is ya said, but Phantasma's happy again."

Shreako grinned. "Oh, I know… Seems our boy has a little interest in our dear cousin."

"Uhh… Interest? I didn't even know money was involved." Meako said, confused. Shreako slapped him upside the head. "Not that kind of interest, you mook! I mean all romantic like!"

"But… he's human." Freako pointed out, also looking unsure but not for lack of brainpower. It was rare for ghosts and humans to date and even so, it usually involved two souls that were romantically connected when both were alive. Or something like that. Freako wasn't an expert. He just went with what he had heard.

"Oh, like we're SOOOO populated with potential ghost guys for our cuz to date…" Shreako sarcastically retorted, his arms crossed. "Ya know there's a good reason our species ain't exactly known as one that 'seals the deal', if ya get what I mean. We ain't like those hottie vampire babes or those animal-instinct werewolves."

"Well, yeah… Alright. Uhh… Take good care of our cousin, OK Shaggy?" Freako asked, still a little put-off but trusting Shaggy to not have any harm come to Phantasma.

"Like, don't worry about it, guys. Phantasma'll have fun. Promise." Shaggy felt weird about the prospect of dating someone just to cheer her up, but he was trying to be an optimist. It should be fun anyway and Phantasma wasn't a bad person to spend some time with. After a few moments of the gang saying farewell to the Boo Brothers, Mystery Inc (plus one ghost) departed for the nearest town.

The first few minutes of the van ride were oddly silent, save for the odd giggle from the hyped ghost. Soon enough, curiosity got the best of someone. "Alright, Shaggy, I think it's time we learned about this Coach job you had." Velma said taking the rare role of leader. Phantasma snickered and cut right in.

"Oh, Shaggy was just a trip to work with in school! When he first saw us, he wouldn't stop runnin' around like a hellcat on a bender, screaming. I almost thought he was trying to match my singing. Well, until I realized the poor guy was scared… I felt so bad about that! Ya see, Shaggy had signed on to take the role of our gym teacher back when we was just giggling schoolgirls. Um… I think he might have been confused."

"Like, yeah… The ad in the paper said nothing about it being a school for monsters. Just that it was an all-girls school. I figured, like, whatever brought in the money. Until I got there, anyway…" Shaggy added, remembering how he kept bumping into one student after another when he first showed up. Phantasma giggled again. "You silly man… Why would we broadcast our existence? I think Ms. G wanted it to be a…whatchamacallit? Oh yeah, a need to know basis thingy. Besides, I bet some people would think that Ms G was just prankin' everyone if she blatantly talked about monsters and we wouldn't get many inquiries. Turns out she was right either way. You're the only one that applied."

"Funny how things worked out." Daphne mused aloud. Of all people, only the biggest coward Mystery Inc knows answered a cryptic want ad hiding a monstrous secret. Either the human locals saw right through it, there weren't many teachers around, or they just didn't care…

"Like, yeah. But I soon found out that they weren't out to get me. And Ms. G kinda pointed out that I was, like, under contract and therefore couldn't leave… Like, a school full of monsters and I get trapped by legal-ese!" Looking back on it, Shaggy had to slump his shoulders at the irony of it. Whoever heard of combating monsters with lawyers? Not that Shaggy had one to use, of course.

"We're glad you stayed, Shaggy. You were the best Coach ever. A very fast runner, for one. Although, I think that's the most obvious fact about him… Always running from something. An angry Winnie… One of Elsa's experiments gone wrong… Matches, our pet kid dragon…. Yep, allllllways running. Scooby too. And that little one, Scrappy. Whatever happened to him anyway?"

"Uhh, he went back home with Scooby's family." Shaggy answered, matter of fact.

"I see. He was hyper. Kinda like me on a sugar rush. Hey, imagine that. Hehe… But let's see… Then came the other things, like volleyball, dodgeball, ballet dance lessons… Hey, did he ever dance with you guys? He looked so funny with that tutu on!"

Velma and Daphne giggled at this as Shaggy's face went red, remembering that particular lesson plan. "Really, Shaggy? A tutu? Man, if only there was a picture or something." Daphne joked, having a good laugh over it. Phantasma floated closer to Shaggy and patted him on the head. "Aww, poor Shaggy. But it's true! You did look pretty funny. But you danced so wonderfully. That's nothing to be embarrassed about. You're agile. That's good. And very useful! Remember when you had to save us from that creep? Ya know, ol' what's-her-name? Oh, I can never remember. Heh. Shows how good a villain she was. Already forgotten! Hehehe…"

"Wait… What's she talking about?" Velma asked, curious. Since when did a semester of school involve rescuing people from bad guys?

"Well… There was some witch that, like, lived deep in a nearby swamp. She had, like, some sort of plan to take over the world or something involving my students. We were very scared, but we knew we had to, like, do something… So we did. Man, was that castle dangerous! Like, one trap after another, creepy magic, and the fact that the girls were brainwashed… By sheer luck, we managed to stop her and save everyone. Sheesh… Guess I couldn't get too far away from the ol' mystery-solving grind, huh?"

"'Ol' mystery-solving grind'? Like, you've done that before? So whatever-she-was wasn't the first baddy you stopped? Wow, Shaggy! We didn't realize we had an experienced hero as a teacher. My, my… That fact definitely makes you seem more… more awesome! And, if I might say…" she paused, pressing herself against him in a hug. "…more attractive as well, my date." Shaggy gulped, the reason for the gang's extra companion once again brought to the forefront of his mind.

"Like, I dunno about me being an 'experienced hero'… Umm… We just end up stopping human criminals… Like, for whatever reasons, they would disguise themselves as monsters to scare people so that it's easier to commit their crimes… I wouldn't know how to properly beat up, like, a real ogre or something if one were to show up." the foodie admitted, trying to stop the ghost from getting too infatuated with him. He began to get a bad feeling that trying to 'friend-zone' Phantasma would be harder than it seemed.

"Fake monsters? Now that's tacky! And it gives us a bad name too. That's got to explain some of the rumors flying around about what certain monster species can and can't do. Sparkling vampires? What the hell's that about? Heheh… No offense, Shaggy, but your species' imagination can be as much a curse as it is a blessing. Or is it ignorance? Both? Oh what am I doing, criticizing my date's species!? That's no good. Sorry, Shaggy." Her happy grin never faltered throughout her whole spoken train of thought. She was definitely back to relative normal alright.

"Like, it's ok. There's always a few bad apples in every bunch."

"Heheh… Now you got me thinkin' about apples. I used to like 'em when I was alive. One of the few things I remember… You like apples? Wait… I bet you like apple pie! Ooh, can we go somewhere with apple pie for dessert?! That'd be great! Mmm… Maybe a diner? Or maybe you can show me some other human foods? I don't need to eat, really, but I can if I want to. I mean, food is good, so why not, right? As long as you don't take me to anywhere that serves any hillbilly stuff… Ya know those weirdos that live near my cousins' mansion? I dunno what they make, but I never liked the smell of it whenever I explored near there. Just eww… So nothing like that, please!" Phanty went on in a rapid pace, her signature energy at work.

As Phanty began droning on about the worst things she ever had to eat, Fred talked over her. "I see what you meant about her being hyper." Even though he talked, Phanty kept talking. "Huh… A regular chatterbox." the blond added.

"Like, yeah…"

"Shaggy? Are ya listening? I was just about to get to what happened to the others! Oh, so many things happened since you left! Like Winnie, for instance! Can you believe she somehow became a model? Yeah! A model! In the human world. Amazing how she managed to blend herself in while in the spotlight. You'd think the body fur would hinder that…"

"Uhh… Body fur, Shaggy…?" Daphne asked.

"Winnie's, like, a werewolf. But wow… Werewolf supermodel. That's a new one."

"Yeah! I like what she's doing. People like her and want to mate with her! But she says she'll only pick someone special. So that's good. Hmm… Let's see… Little Tanis isn't so little anymore. She had a growth spurt! She had to redo her bandages over these few years. Strange thing, though… On her travels back home, she ended up gaining some sorta human followers on the way. I think they think of her as some sort of Egyptian icon or something. Little Tanny's a cult leader! Well, a reluctant one, anyway. You know how adorably sweet she is. On the bright side, she's probably treating those guys like friends or something. If she's finally gotten used to them lurking around her pyramid, that is. She's still shy…"

"Zoinks! I hope she isn't overwhelmed by all the attention."

"Let me guess… A mummy?" Velma asked. Shaggy nodded. If they thought about it, Mystery Inc could recall a time or two where they came across a criminal posing as a mummy. Common gimmick for Egypt or Egyptian exhibits in museums, really.

"Yup! You'd all like her. She's so sweet! But where was I? Oh yeah. Elsa managed to find herself in an interesting situation. Being the brain that she is, she managed to recreate her father's creator's method of making people and created a batch of 'sisters' for herself. That'll make ol' Frankenstein proud! Not sure what Elsa made them for, but I hope she's doing good things." Phanty continued as she began to miss her friends.

"Holy crap. Frankenstein?" Daphne wondered how many legendary monsters Shaggy actually encountered during his time away.

"Elsa's his daughter. I mean, what else would he and his Bride do, am I right?" the ghost quipped with a cheeky grin. The others groaned at the implication. There's a macabre riddle for ya: Was Elsa created via sex or via surgery like her parents? Most would probably hope it's the latter just to spare themselves from even the mental image of her parents in bed…

"Roo ruch rinformation…" Scooby muttered, placing a paw over his face.

"Like, what about Sibella?" Shaggy asked, moving the conversation along.

"Oh, that vampire can get things done! She took over the vampire race after her batty father made one too many mistakes. Hehehe… Funny how even Dracula can get senile. Then again, he had lived for practically millennia, so yeah… Soon before I got stuck moping, I had heard from her. She says she's been looking for a mate to rule with her. I found it funny. Wanna know why? She says she preferred skinny, funny, slightly-timid guys. Gee, I wonder where she got that idea from, o date of mine." Phantasma finished in a teasing manner, causing Shaggy to blush. He remembered the purple vampire alright. Even then, he had to admit that she was indeed attractive. Vampiric beauty in action, he figured.

"Jinkies. Somebody left an impression on his students…" Velma joined in. She wasn't surprised that some women would actually enjoy his personality. Lord knows Velma would prefer Shaggy over some macho oaf or some bad boy. The man in question's head drooped, modestly awkward about the idea of changing a woman's preferences. He didn't think he was THAT cool.

"Speaking of impressions, we should be thinking about the one you're gonna leave on me, Shaggy." Phantasma cooed in Shaggy's ear, leaving him nervous and confused. Did she mean the date? Was she implying more than that? Whatever it may be, he worried yet again about the outcome of this.

When they got to town, it took a little while to find a decent-looking restaurant for Shaggy and his 'hot date' to eat. It was a small Italian place that wasn't too busy, perfect for Phantasma to be there without her appearance causing too much of a fuss. Especially when she demonstrated an ability she claimed to have acquired over time. She could become a solid being temporarily. The blue skin, however, she couldn't change. She was a ghost, not a shapeshifter.

Fortunately for Shaggy, the made-up story that his date 'enjoyed dressing up in crazy fashions' managed to get them out of the path of too many prying eyes and questions, even if a couple of the stares Phanty had gotten weren't exactly friendly. After an awkward scene involving Phantasma rambling aloud about the whole menu to try to make up her mind on what to get while the waiter was there, the 'body-painted human' settled on a salad and some mozzarella sticks. Shaggy decided on a light meal. Nothing less than 4 heaping bowls of fettuccine alfredo with 2 sides of onion rings and a whole thing of breadsticks. As Mystery Inc would confirm if they were around, that was indeed a small meal for the cowardly foodie.

As they ate, Shaggy and Phantasma awkwardly talked, starting off with fishing for topics. Phanty hadn't seen much TV as she had spent most of her time homeless, wandering the land and seeing the sights before her depression hit. Shaggy didn't know what it was like to fly, so he couldn't relate there. Phanty did like the concept of movies, as she had peeked into a couple of theaters amongst her travels. Of course, listening to music was a common ground for both, although Shaggy did prefer music to be actually on-key when he remembered how the ghost usually sang... Not that he would tell Phanty that out loud, of course!

Surprisingly to Shaggy, he discovered that the ghost liked to read. Although, she did like to read about death and the undead. He supposed he should have seen that coming. "Yep! I read a lotta stuff on being dead during my travels. Let's see… The Necronomicon, the Handbook For The Recently Deceased, something called a Death Note which was just a buncha names and words, Dante's Inferno… Lotsa neat stuff." For some strange reason, Shaggy couldn't help but gulp at her reading selections.

And so they kept talking. Shaggy curiously brought up the topic of Phanty's past, wondering what she remembered of her time alive. She admitted that she didn't remember a lot, mainly just bits and pieces. Immediately, she fired back a question of Shaggy's past. The foodie modestly told her of how he met his friends when he was a kid in his hometown of Coolsville and how they'd often run afoul of the town's local bully. Phantasma giggled loudly at the name of this supposed bully. How often do you run into people named Red Herring? "Seriously, Shaggy! What's next? Maltese Falcon? Gum Shoe? Humphrey Bogart? Oh, wait… That last one was a real guy… Right." Shaggy began to feel glad that he chose not to tell her about that phase of his childhood where he would sometimes pretend to be a superhero… What kinda superhero name was 'Commander Cool' anyway? One a kid would think of, certainly.

"Speaking of crazy names, I just remembered something! When I was a little ghost, I used to like pretending I was a superhero, fighting all sorts of baddies and protecting people living and dead. Isn't that weird?" she giggled. "What a name I gave myself, though. Super Specter… Hah. That's childhood for ya!" The coward's eyes widened. How odd that they both did the same thing in their youth. He then smiled playfully and said "Yeah? Well, back in my day, you'd be looking at one Commander Cool."

Phantasma went into another fit of nonstop giggles, but knowing that the ghost had done the same thing before, Shaggy didn't feel embarrassed from her laughter. "Well, Commander, you at least know how to show a superheroine a good time so far." the ghost said in what she considered to be a flirty tone, a hint of her usual psychotic energy slipping out.

Shaggy blushed. Truthfully, Phantasma was proving to be a fun person to hang out with. Unlike what he was mentally afraid of, she hadn't caused a scene with her loud personality or anything. He was beginning to wonder if he should hang out with her again like this.

"Hey, Commander Cool… You think you can match wits with the Super Specter? I'll race ya to the movie theater after this!" Phanty cut in, a challenging smirk on her face. The keyword to his previous wonderings quickly turned to a big 'IF'…

After dinner, Shaggy and Phantasma were picked up by the Mystery Machine. Phantasma was adamant about racing Shaggy to the theater. When Shaggy pointed out that they don't even know their way around town, Phantasma just replied with "That's half the fun, don'cha think?". But she caved to her date's logic when he pointed out that they didn't have that long until their movie started. As soon as she got in the van, Phanty went transparent again, mentioning that she needed a break from using her ability.

When they got to the theater after some time trying to find it, Phanty suggested that she go invisible until they were in the theater so that Shaggy could only pay for one person and save money. Of course, the others grumbled a little about it being a crime. But they had to admit that it would be pretty strange to pay for a ghost that could just fly in and out at their own leisure. Not to mention, Phanty's ability to solidify hadn't fully recharged yet.

And so, to Shaggy's awkward embarrassment, he purchased one ticket to the movie Phantasma wanted to see: Nature Trail To Hell In 3-D (1). It didn't exactly have ghosts, but the slasher movie appealed to Phantasma anyway for reasons Shaggy was still unsure of. After the first couple of brutal killing scenes, one reason became apparent. Well, it would have been more apparent if he weren't scared out of his mind already… Shivering like a leaf, Shaggy wondered why he was there, seemingly unaccompanied by anyone in a half-full theater, watching something he already had enough of dealing with in real life. But then, he felt something. The familiar barely-there-but-definitely-present feeling of a ghost touching him. More specifically, Phanty wrapping her arms around him invisibly.

He heard her quiet whimpers (somehow mixed with giggling) as she quietly whispered to Shaggy over the volume of the movie. "I've never been to a horror movie with a date before. I kinda wanted to know what it was like to cling to my date, scared…"

Shaggy instantly knew what she was talking about. The idea of getting close to your lover through movie-induced fear. He had to admit, during the lull between scary scenes, he could see the benefits of this. He hoped it wouldn't turn out like that one drive-in movie date he had with his ex-girlfriend, Googie, where he ended up kidnapped and cursed by Dracula. But that was then. If only his date were solid again…

And so, he endured the movie, one scene after another. After every kill scene, his own fright would mingle with his odd enjoyment of (sorta) feeling Phantasma cling to him. "This movie is horrible… terrible… slaughter-tastic… Now I'm making up words… It makes me wanna puke… or punch that killer guy in the face… or both! Hehehe… Vomit punch. That'd be funny. But I like how it's making me grab on you like this. You like it too?" she whispered, barely restraining herself from giggling loudly at her date's reaction of blushing and stammering quietly. She thought that was adorable.

An hour and 45 minutes of gore later, a frightened Shaggy exited the theater. The movie managed to win the duel within Shaggy's head between it and enjoying Phantasma's constant grip on him with the grim climax scene, scaring the couple. In fact, Shaggy had lost the feeling of Phantasma on him since that scene. He had assumed she was floating invisibly behind him. After stuttering through a call to Fred that the movie was over, Shaggy waited patiently at the side of the road on a bench near the theater.

When it looked like nobody was around, he called out for Phantasma. Nothing. No response. "Like, Phanty?" Again, nothing. "Coast is, like, clear. Ya can appear now." Now he was getting concerned. Did she stay behind? Did he lose her in the lobby something? Before he got up off the bench to go back in and look, a ghostly blue and white head popped out from his chest. "Is it over, Shaggy?" she asked, nervously, looking around from her new vantage point. Shaggy yelped, not expecting that at all.

"Like, you were inside me?!"

Phantasma blushed, realizing how this situation might be interpreted. She turned her head around to face him, the rest of her still inside Shaggy. "Um… Yeah. That last scene was really scary… I hope you didn't mind me hiding in you… I think that's another ability of mine, to go inside someone without possessing them. I mean, I can possess if I want to. But I'm not like that. This way, I can kinda 'piggyback' off of someone. Experience what they experience, feel what they feel, that sort of thing… Is that weird?"

"Well… I guess it's not that weird, like, for a ghost. Uh… Could you come out of me now?" Shaggy asked, blushing. He liked the idea of having a girl on him and he would occasionally have a dirty thought or two about it, but having one actually inside him wasn't what he was expecting. But he trusted Phantasma. Even so, it was odd to talk to a head that was sticking out of his chest…

"Kinda reminds ya too much of that Alien movie with those chest-burster things, eh? Alright, alright. I'll get out." Phanty giggled in a playful tone of pseudo-resignation as she effortlessly pulled herself out of Shaggy and floating down to sit beside him. She had a huge grin on her face.

"Like, you look happy." Shaggy simply said, his awkwardness kicking in again. He wasn't exactly a natural ladies' man, of course.

"Why shouldn't I? I just had the most amazing date ever! Ya think we could do this again? I'd like to. I really would! I'll even let ya pick out the movie next time. As long as it's a good one! Perhaps one with ghosts will come out soon. Or we could just pick one from your home. You have movies, right? Pfft, of course ya have some movies. Lotsa humans have movies at home, so I've seen. So how about it? Another movie night? Just the two of us? Huh? Huh? Huh?!" As she energetically rambled on, she had slid herself closer to Shaggy until she was practically in his face. Shaggy nervously chuckled. The girl sure did have spirit…

To ensure a second date, Phantasma decided to accompany Mystery Inc when they decided to do some traveling again, instead of returning to Coolsville. Initially, the others were unsure and hesitant. But Phantasma managed to convince them that Shaggy made her feel a lot better about herself but felt that being with friends would be best for her. Thus, the blue woman was introduced to their ways of solving mysteries soon after joining, as they had come across another town troubled by a monster that ended up being some goon in a suit. Even though Shaggy had told her of these criminals before, she found it even more hilarious when faced with it in person. She would have to tell her old friends of how silly some humans are.

With Phantasma's newfound fondness for watching movies with Shaggy, the ghost was introduced to Netflix by way of Velma's laptop computer. Obviously, horror movies were quite a popular choice for her, although she preferred ones with comedy mixed in it, rather than straight-up 'everyone dies horribly' bloodbaths. Also, she picked out plenty of music specials as well, especially when Shaggy divulged what type of human music he liked and she wanted to try his style.

Months of travel and adventure later, the group decided to take a vacation. Which led to the evening that Shaggy found himself taking his strange relationship with Phantasma further and into quite bizarre territory…

They were relaxing at a beach in Miami. No monsters, no traps, no need to run from anything. Just sand and surf and the setting sun. The six members of Mystery Inc had split off to do their own thing when they arrived hours ago. Shaggy and Scooby had decided to go for a swim for a while and were just heading to shore when they noticed Velma swimming out toward them in a bikini as orange as her infamous sweater. Surprising. Not the bikini, as she had worn that before in past beach trips. It was the fact that she was swimming. It wasn't that she couldn't or wouldn't, but a lot of times, she would just relax on the beach with a good book.

"Hey, guys! I guess the water's fine, huh?" the brunette genius greeted, swimming around the lanky man and his dog. Shaggy agreed, although he found it strange that Velma seemed so energetic in the water today. A really good mood, perhaps.

"Like, yeah. Guess we shouldn't underestimate how, like, refreshing a vacation is. No worries, man!"

"Yeah. So, uhh…. How are things with you and Phantasma? Good?" she asked out of the blue, switching to the backstroke.

"Like, I guess. She hasn't really been talking much about a relationship and just seems to be enjoying herself here, so that's good." he said, deciding to copy her and backstroke as well. Both eventually decided to just float, gazing skyward.

"How about you, though? What do you think of her?"

"Like, Phanty's… She's Phanty. I mean, I like her and all…" he replied, unsure of what to really say about that.

"But…?" Velma prodded, noting the obvious hesitation of her friend, an odd look in her eyes.

"…I'm not sure about this. I mean, like, does she really like me or is she just settling? Like, do I like her like that? She's fun to be with, but this thing was kinda… ya know… pushed on me. Then there's the whole 'ghost' thing… Like, won't that get in the way? I can only kinda feel her when she's transparent and she can only go solid for, like, a little while. If I decide to go for it, I'm sure we can work. We like the same music, we have fun with movies, like, we talk about anything… but…"

"She's not settling, Shaggy. At least, not now, she isn't." Velma replied immediately, suddenly serious. "You do know that you're not the only one she talks alone with, right?"

Of course he knew. Often, Phantasma would share a hotel room with Velma, even though she could just float invisibly anywhere she wanted. She chose Velma because she didn't want to seem too clingy to Shaggy and she knew of Fred and Daphne's close relationship and didn't want to be in their way. And so, the two women would have many girl-talks.

"Like, touche… Well, that's good to know. I wanted her to be, ya know, fully okay with how things are."

Velma let her body sink back down so her head and shoulders weren't submerged, turning to look at Shaggy. "Very noble, considering the situation. I'm pretty sure she thanks you for that..." she said in a sly manner, one that Shaggy raised an eyebrow at.

"Like, what's up, Velma? Something about Phanty and I bothering you?"

"Mmm, not anymore. You just cleared something up for me." she paddled her way over to him. "In fact, I think it's time I cleared something up for you." Shaggy, noticing her closeness, also let his body sink, if only to get a little space. He started to feel a little suspicious. Before he could do anything, Velma reached out and pulled him close, her lips crashing into his.

His mind exploded with one singular thought of 'What the hell!?' as he struggled to escape the genius' grip on him or at least, her mouth's apparent death-lock on his lips. After a minute of kissing, she finally broke it, giggling to herself. After about ten seconds of Shaggy recovering from his shock, he opened his mouth to demand answers, but stopped when he noticed something about Velma. Her eyes. They were a different shade of color…. Phantasma's color.

"Wha…? Like, you possessed Velma?!" he cried out in surprise.

"Guilty! Hehehe! Well, only half-guilty, anyway. She's still here and she knows what's going on and can feel what happened and everything. So it's like you're dealing with both of us. Now, before you think that I just embarrassed Velma or something, there's something ya oughta know. When we have our girly talks, we yammer about a lotta things. Boys, music, TV, movies, makeup, places to haunt, food, what happens if I scare the crap out of some guy posing as a ghost, books, what it's like to be dead. Ya know, basic womanly things. Well… I told Velma how we were getting along one time and I noticed she got a little bummed. I didn't know why, so I asked. And I asked and asked again. She wouldn't budge. And I kept going and going and going and going and… Well, ya get it… Turns out she likes you too, Shaggy… Can ya imagine how bad I felt about ruining someone else's chances because I got mopey all those months ago? Really bad…! She revealed this to me shortly before this vacation. So I got to thinking. And the answer hit me like Winnie during a full moon in a bar fight. I wanna take 'us' further, but for that, I need a body. My solidifying trick does require focus and I might lose focus if we're screwin', so yeah… Turns out she had one and we both like you, so here we are!"

Shaggy took a minute to process Phantasma's rambling story. He didn't know what surprised him more: The fact that Phantasma had the nerve to possess Velma, that Velma had feelings for him as well, or that Phanty thought the answer to the love triangle conundrum was as simple as sharing a body. Even the listening Scooby had his jaw dropped since the kiss, the explanation not exactly lessening his own shock.

"That's… uhh… Like… that…. Um…. Did Velma approve of this?" Shaggy finally got out, the first clear question to make it past his addled mind and out of his mouth.

"Oh, yes! I told her how I felt about things and made the suggestion. I totally left it up to her. I know I get a little pushy, but there's boundaries some just don't cross without permission… Now, c'mon! Velma got us our own room at the hotel. She picked one with a single bed for the three of us to play with. Hehehe…" 'Vel-tasma' snickered as she excitedly swam toward shore, thoughts of what could happen fueling her swimming prowess.

Shaggy watched the bikini-clad woman transition from swimming to running as the water got too shallow. Then he glanced at Scooby. Then he looked back toward shore. Then, Scooby again. Both human and animal had one thing to say about this.

"Like, what the hell just happened?"

A half-hour of walking and thinking later, Shaggy found himself in front of the door to the hotel room that Velma (or Phantasma…or somebody) had reserved for them. He still had some doubts. A part of him was annoyed that Phantasma had, again, roped him into something. Now she roped Velma in, involving her alleged feelings for him. He doubted Phantasma was lying about any of it. She was impulsive, sure. But she hadn't lied about anything. Still, it added more to think about. Maybe if he just went in and talked things out…

He opened the door. As soon as he entered, he knew his talking plan might fall on deaf ears. There lay Velma, still clad in her bikini with an expectant look in her now-glasses-covered eyes. Floating next to the bed, clad in absolutely nothing, was Phantasma. The ghost displayed her petite blue body in such a way where nothing was hidden. Shaggy gulped.

"Hey Shaggy…" Velma shyly greeted, a timid smile forming and her freckled cheeks blushing. Overall, Shaggy found that look quite endearing. He had thought the nerd was pretty in her own way, the baggy sweaters she wore hiding a nicely voluptuous figure. He liked how nice she was, but he thought she would have preferred someone as intellectual as she was. So he didn't think to pursue her. "Er, hi Velma… Like…" he trailed off. What could he say, really?

"I know what you want to ask… I'll keep it simple. I do like you, Shaggy. A lot. You're a sweet guy, you know that? Not a lot of those left these days. I always thought I'd have time to say how I felt before, what with my quest for knowledge and thinking about what I would want for a career. But then Phantasma happened and you got into this…uh…relationship? It made me realize that I shouldn't have delayed. The rest you have heard from Phantasma." the brainiac explained as clinically as theorizing over a criminal's motives, due to trying to keep her nerves from interfering.

"Like, this is nuts, man… Both of you like me?" He had heard both women say it, but he didn't know what to do about it. What was the right answer? A certain hardened part of him sorely gave him one idea, but his mind held that back.

Phantasma got impatient, knowing Shaggy would be hesitant about it. "Ugh… Shaggy! Don't be a dip about this. Why do you think we talked about this before coming to you? Ya think I want a catfight with Velma about this? Nope. She's cool. I like her. Good friend. Smart friend. Besides, I'm a ghost. Ya think I can just ride you? Not that simple, as I said. I need a body."

"And I'm willing to provide that. She was indeed right about me being able to be aware and feel everything, despite her taking control. Yes, it is strange, this whole situation. But I think we're all mature enough to handle it. Was that what's bothering you?" Velma added. She hoped he wouldn't clam up. She knew he had enough problems figuring out if he actually liked the ghost romantically. But Phantasma was quite insistent… And she did want a chance to act on her feelings for once.

"Like, that and trying to figure out the right thing." He suddenly felt something shove him gently toward the bed and Velma. Phantasma. "Oh, bah! So there's a few moral obstacles to mentally wrestle with. Who doesn't have that? And what awesome goal doesn't have an issue or two in the way? You said it yourself back in the big drink. You like me! You really like me. This is ridiculously easy. I want you, you want me, Velma wants you, you like her too, I need a body, she has one, so I possess and you have fun with both of us! See? Simple."

By the time she finished rambling, she had managed to force him right to the foot of the bed. "Phanty, you know that's not all there is to it… Yaaah!" he suddenly cried out as Phantasma gave him a shove, sending him toppling toward Velma, who caught his head before it could smack into her stomach. Shaggy had never been this close to Velma, especially when she was showing plenty of skin. His manhood throbbed again as he raised his head and took in the view of Velma's head peaking over the decently-plump, bikini-covered 'mountains'.

"That's more like it!" cheered Phantasma before she phased herself into Velma, who then started giggling. Well, his resistance was good while it lasted… He knew he underestimated how horny Phantasma, Velma, or both were when his head was grabbed again and was directed further downward instead of pulling his body up to align with hers.

At least he could say that he got what, deep-down, he wanted.

The next morning, Shaggy couldn't believe what he woke up to. The sight of two naked women sleeping next to him, one living and one undead. His head felt clearer than it had been for a little while. He did have feelings for the both of them, who reciprocated with no problems. Why not give the love triangle a try? If things don't work out, he had a good feeling that they would all remain friends. He began to wonder why he was so stubborn about his doubts. Then again, after a night of crazy sex, everything involved with it seems like an awesome idea…

As Velma subconsciously snuggled against him in her sleep, Shaggy began to wonder how the others would react to this. But first thing's first… Now that they had crossed that line in the relationship, perhaps the ladies would like a 'wake-up call'. If only he could figure out how to do anything to a sleeping Phantasma while she's transparent.

 **Author's Note:** Three down! I've been a little stuck on this one. Hmm… Did I do the second half of this one alright? I'm not sure, to be honest with ya. Anybody ever have the feeling like you could do something better than you did, but can't figure out how to improve it and you think what you have is the way to go anyway? Something like that? Moments like this, I wonder if I need a beta reader… If enough people feel that some of this needs a revision, I'll see what I can do. But we shall see.

I figure that, with my gimmick, it'd be surprising to add Velma to the mix somehow. I just figured that, Phanty being a ghost, she would need a body to possess if she were to have sex with Shaggy. Yeah, I did say she could temporarily go solid as an ability, but I figure that ability requires a little focus to maintain it. Imagine Shaggy clumsily slipping through Phantasma mid-bang because she lost focus via orgasm. Funny, but impractical. Lol. I didn't want that ability to be some 'be all, end all, problem solved' ability or something. Thus, my twist to make it Velma/Shaggy/Phantasma. All three characters' problems solved!

Speaking of being stuck on something, I know it makes a bit of logical sense to have "head girl" Sibella be the final chapter, but I do have an idea for her chapter, but no ideas for little Tanis yet. If anybody has any ideas for the adorable little mummy's turn, let's hear them. Otherwise, it may be that Tanis will be the Main Eventer here.

Footnotes: 1) Anyone for Weird Al Yankovic references?

Finally, I'd like to thank everyone that reviewed the first two chapters of this. I'd go into specific replies, which is my usual post-chapter gimmick, but the latest batch of reviews were pretty straightforward (although, I did reply to one via Private Message). So a HUGE thanks to everyone! I hope this chapter is just as good as the first two.


	4. Sibella

Disclaimer: If I owned anything, I wish I owned the concept of intrusive ads on YouTube videos so I can banish that for good.

Meet My Student: Sibella

Transylvania: often haunted, never duplicated. This was mostly because of the proclaimed ruler and dictator of the land, Lord Dracula, the master of all vampires. Now usually in the past few decades, the instances of supernatural attacks on the human towns and villages were kept to a minimal, as Dracula was content with his domain for the time being. However, within the last week, hordes of the undead attacked the towns, for reasons unknown beside the speculation of their unholy hunger for flesh.

After a few days of horror and mayhem, one man carved a path of vengeance, littered with the carcasses of zombies and demons of different kinds. His destination was obvious: The large looming castle that oversees all of the relatively small region. He knew something like this would happen. It had happened before. Hell, his ancestors had to deal with the rage of Dracula before. But unlike the legends, it would seem the vampire had decided to strike a lot earlier than expected.

Nonetheless, it was time to take up the whip and his special weapon…a giant sharpened spatula? Whatever his fighting mastery turned out to be, he would vanquish this evil or his name wasn't Juese Belmont. (1)

Deep inside the Gothic monstrosity of a palace, one of the handful of sentient beings amongst the thousands of undead in general was sealed away in her bedroom, guarded by some large ugly brute of a demon lurking outside it, a security measure by her crazed dipshit of a father. Trapped in her spacious, fancy bedroom, unable to leave because the 'king' of Transylvania was immature enough to throw a temper tantrum, raze the surrounding villages, and end up provoking the humans enough for some to strike back. And for what? His bimbo of a mistress being caught cheating on him with a human? Not that surprising that she would do that, as it was obvious that she was vapid as the night was long.

That all led to the castle being under siege, despite humans being physically weaker than many monster species and their lack of any mystical abilities. They could fight, that was true. There were the legends about her father's failed attempts to conquer the world before she was born, all foiled by humans of a certain bloodline. Sibella Dracula sighed in annoyance for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. What happened to the Dracula of legend that wouldn't let such trivial matters bother him to the point of needless rage? This was worse than the rumor of a botched monster road race years ago while she was with her biological mother. Another plan foiled by a nameless human, so she heard…

As she thought about the situation, a loud roar was heard from outside. Her guard's warning against an intruder, soon to be followed by noises of fighting. At least one human was near her room, possibly wanting to kill her if he somehow gets past whatever hellspawn Dracula had set in place. She had to leave, to find safety somehow. Moving to her large bookshelf, she quickly perused the titles on the spines of her massive collection of times before she came across the one she was looking for. Yanking it out, she flipped the pages of what was revealed to be a spell book. She needed either a way out or a guardian of her own to keep her safe. If the intruder(s) got this far in, then her father's chosen minion might not be enough to spare her from a grave misunderstanding.

After all, she sorely disagreed with Dracula's views and wanted no part of his vile scheme. He was family and she didn't mind living at home until this started, but familial love had its limits. The sound of fierce combat drew louder, straining Sibella's nerves as she skimmed through her spell book. 'Let's see… Thunder bolt, fireball, mind control, summon zombie, transformation, plant growth, the Midas touch, cleaning spells, cure all ailments with Esuna, flight, meteor… There has to be something!' she mentally read and concluded as she ran her eyes through titles, spell components, and descriptions.

Finally, she came across a suitable piece of arcane magic. It was described as a way to teleport the user to somewhere his or her heart truly believed to be completely safe. A veritable 'happy place', if one were to use such sappy terminology. A couple of places came to mind, but it didn't matter where the spell would take her, as long as it was away from her potential killer.

Thanking her luck that the spell only required the book itself and the words of the spell to be uttered, the purple vampire wasted little time in gathering a few necessities. A howl of agony was heard, the death scream of the beast guarding her room as she closed the small bag of things. Picking up the open spell book, Sibella started reciting the spell as a loud thud came from the door, the 'hero' trying to kick it open.

As she uttered the words, a few thoughts came to her mind. First was another futile question of how petty her father was, followed immediately by her pity for the poor local humans subjected to his pathetic wrath. She had heard of a mid-life crisis, but this was disgraceful. Whatever happened to just dealing with the one offending human, if need be? She was glad that she was taught better, which made her think of her old school days. How she missed her friends so… Maybe this spell would take her to one of them! That would be, as she would phrase it, 'fang-tastic'.

She spoke the last word of the incantation just as the door finally gave way to the angry human's force. Before the enemy could properly take in the surroundings, what looked like a purple lightning bolt struck Sibella from above, the bolt and the vampire vanishing just as quickly. Juese Belmont cursed to himself, what may have been potential prey escaping him. He consoled himself with the fact that whoever it was that had teleported away, it definitely wasn't Dracula. There was still a chance to finish him…

Sibella felt like she was flying and falling at the same time, the confusing array of glowing auras and other strange, mystical phenomena not unlike what some describe the experience of going through a magical vortex or traveling through the time-space continuum. She tried waving her limbs around to get some sort of balance or bearing, but to no avail. Wherever she was going, she was stuck going in whatever direction the spell was taking her, if she was even actually going in any direction. Who knows what earthly laws applied while she was in this wormhole or warp or whatever this was?

It didn't matter in the long run. As long as her destination was somewhere safe, preferably with friends nearby. It was obvious that she wouldn't be able to go home for a long time, no matter which side won.

Her surroundings shifted, almost like forming some sort of opening. That must be her exit. Guess it was time to see where her magics have taken her…

It was supposed to be another run-of-the-mill monster mystery. This time it was allegedly a two-headed orc terrorizing a small town over some legendary buried treasure. A stretch of the imagination, for sure. A couple of hours later and Mystery Inc had the monster cornered in a trap by, of course, having Shaggy and Scooby lure it into a certain area. In this case, the gang had a simple snare trap set up. As basic as it was, it succeeded at catching the monster and leaving him hanging upside down in the air, the orc head helmet fell off to reveal the perpetrator.

However, the resident cowards hadn't considered the fact that they were living in the advent of people adamantly defending the Second Amendment with more and more people being armed with firearms. The hanging criminal managed to draw a pistol, angrily demanding his freedom and their money. Shaggy and Scooby had their hands (paws) up but refused to let him down. The criminal aimed at the "damn hippie" (his words) and was ready to fire. Shaggy cringed, hoping behind hope that he would miss. Understandably, the others had probably seem this development and hadn't come out from their hiding spots, perhaps trying to figure out a way to disarm him.

But that was not to be. Despite the weather being a clear starry night, a loud clap of thunder burst overhead, causing everyone to look skyward in confusion. A few moments passed and something fell toward the three. The odd event turned out to be quite a stroke of luck for Shaggy and Scooby as the something landed right on the hanging criminal, stressing the snare rope to the point of snapping. The criminal and the very-purple something landed with a thud on the ground, the fake monster knocked out as a result.

The fallen thing started to move with a definitely female groan. "Wha… What happened…?" the mystery woman asked in a weary tone.

"Zoinks! Like, it's a person, Scoob!" Shaggy reacted, wondering how somebody fell right out of the sky like that.

The dazed woman began lifting herself up from the cushion that was the criminal. "Mmm… Where have I heard that voice before…?" It was apparent to the duo that she seemed a little disoriented. Shaggy approached her to help, getting a closer view of her. In the moonlight, he could make out that she had long thick hair and she had an affinity for purple. It seemed familiar…

"Like, are you ok, miss?" he asked, offering a hand to help her stand up. She noticed the hand and took it. As Shaggy pulled her up to her feet, their eyes met. The woman's haunting eyes widened, as if in recognition. She gently put a hand on his cheek.

"I'm not seeing things… It IS you, Coach. I'm so glad…" she said before losing her balance and falling forward, Shaggy catching her. It was at this point that Fred, Daphne, and Velma came out of their vantage points and approached.

"What the heck was that? I mean, I'm glad it ended up stopping the gunman, but… uhh… who's that?" Fred asked, not seeing the woman leaning on Shaggy until they got closer.

"Like, believe it or not, an old friend."

Minutes later, when the gang entered the Mystery Machine to take the crook to the town's police station, three out of the five members were surprised to see by the van's indoor light that Shaggy's friend had purple skin. They had thought it was due to the dim moonlight being pretty much the only source of light in the outskirts of the town. She appeared to be wearing a fancy Gothic dress of black with shades of purple. It reminded them of the styles of their musical friends, the Hex Girls, when they did one of their more extravagant performances. Her obviously expensive attire combined with her complexion made them curious of how and where Shaggy had met such a woman.

"So, uhh… You know this lady, Shaggy?" Daphne asked, being the one to finally break the ice. Shaggy kept the woman's items, a small backpack and an ancient-looking book, close to him as he kept an eye on the woman. She had regained some of her bearings, enough to think straight again. Teleporting was convenient but she would prefer a good flight in her bat form next time. The book said nothing of disorientation….

"Ugh… Shaggy, would you mind if I field this question? I'll be fine. Just weary."

"Uhh… Sure, Sibella." he answered with a smile. He had recognized her after she had referred to him as 'Coach'. She had definitely grown up. The vampire smiled back, glad that he had remembered her.

"Ahem… I do hope you pardon my intrusion into your lives like this, but I was in distress and needed to escape. I wasn't sure where I was going to end up when I cast my spell. All I knew for sure was that it was designed to take me to a friend or a place that would keep me safe. Looks like I know why it dropped me off here. In any case, I am Sibella Dracula and I know your friend well, since he was my school's gym teacher some years ago."

"Whoa! You were a teacher?" Daphne asked, not having recalled any point in time he might have mentioned it.

"Jinkies… Dracula? So, are you…?" Velma hesitantly put forth.

"Nice going, Shaggy. It's not every day that a grown schoolgirl comes to visit her teacher after graduation." Fred said, chuckling. Sibella giggled at the blond's remark as Shaggy placed a palm over his face.

"To answer the brunette's question first, you are correct. I am indeed a vampire." To emphasize he answer, she grinned, revealing her noticeable fangs. "But you needn't worry about your blood. One of the things I've learned at school is that there are other ways for me to get nourishment other than forcibly. Besides, any friend of my dear Coach is an ally of mine." she concluded, adding a much-friendlier smile for effect. Shaggy took that as his cue to introduce the others to her. Sibella politely greeted each human as Shaggy introduced them, getting a friendly acknowledgement in response.

"Coach, huh? Who knew gym would be your thing, Shaggy?" Fred joked as he pulled into the town's police station parking lot.

"Like, I thought it'd be fairly easy, since we do run around a lot and I do keep in shape. I didn't know the problem wasn't going to be the exercising." the foodie snickered as Fred parked the van and opened his door.

The conversation halted as the gang took care of turning in the criminal they had caught, much to Sibella's curiosity. The vampire elected to remain in the van with Shaggy and Scooby, as to not draw any unwanted attention to herself.

"Your friends seem interesting, Shaggy. Have you known them long?" Sibella asked while they were alone.

"Like, yeah. Since we were children." Shaggy replied, smiling at fond memories. Sibella gently cut off his nostalgic train of thought with another question.

"So, uhh… May I ask what you all were up to when I… 'dropped in'?"

"Heh… Well, we're actually glad that you showed up. Believe it or not, like, you actually saved our lives by dropping on that guy. Ya see, we're a traveling band of paranormal mystery solvers. Like, at least we have the reputation of one and decided to go with it. We would travel around and end up coming across towns that are, like, haunted by something. So we would kinda poke around and end up running into whatever creep's freaking everyone out. Uhh… Long story short, we'd end up catching him and a lot of times, it turns out to be some human in a costume wanting everyone else out of town for some reason. Usually treasure or something."

"That sounds quite disingenuous of them to do. Are any of these frauds actually accurate? It is absurd enough that some people would sully the dignity of monsters for petty gains." Sibella's disdain was understandable to Shaggy, knowing that she had come from a high class of vampire.

"Well, I dunno about accuracy, but they were, at least, pretty scary. Like, until we got their masks off, of course."

"Rake or rot, rey rill ranted to ret us…" Scooby chimed in.

"Too true, Scoob. But this guy you dropped on… Like, if you hadn't came along, we would've been shot to death! We had him in a classic snare trap, but he had a gun concealed on him. He, like, drew it on us and wanted to be let down. We weren't gonna do that, man. But, before he fired, well… here you are!"

Sibella's eyes were wide. She had no idea that her escape from the invading vampire slayer would end up saving the life of her old gym teacher. She didn't even want to imagine what would have happened had Dracula not invaded the rest of Transylvania in the first place. "Oh my… I'm glad I could lend a wing then!" she replied, flustered.

"And, like, I thank you for it." Shaggy said, grateful. The flustered vampire couldn't help but blush a little at his praise. She had thought she had gotten over her old schoolgirl crush on the one-semester teacher, figuring that she wouldn't ever run into him again, what with his travels and her responsibility as vampire princess since graduating (not to mention, his possible and understandable reluctance to come visit her because of her intimidating legend of a father). But perhaps she still had those feelings.

A couple of minutes later, the other humans reentered the Mystery Machine and the gang had resumed their journey toward wherever the road might take them. Turning the radio on to a reasonable volume (putting it on a classic rock station, of course), the gang settled in for a good drive. Feeling like continuing the conversation, Sibella was the first to speak. "Shaggy tells me that you all run a sort of detective agency, yes?"

"Indeed, we do. We call ourselves Mystery Inc. We didn't think we'd end up making a bit of a career out of it, but as luck would have it, we just kept running into one costumed kook after another in our travels. Of course, there were a few times when we did run into some real monsters…" Velma explained, turning to look back at the foodie, the vampire, and the dog from her front seat.

Sibella had to smirk. "Oh, I can certainly tell there would have been a few of those. Like how Shaggy met me."

"Speaking of which, I think you three were just about to tell us about that." Daphne interjected, remembering where the original chat had trailed off when they made their stop.

"Ah, yes. I remember that day vividly. Our headmistress, Ms. Grimwood, had informed us that we would finally be getting a new gym teacher. We were slightly understaffed that year and Ms. Grimwood wasn't exactly a spry one. Not that she was elderly, of course. In any case, some of us were excited for the prospect of somebody new coming. I think Winnie wanted someone new to match physical wits against. Werewolves, am I correct…? Heh… And Phantasma so looked forward to a new playmate. She's a phantom. It was interesting to find out that the new coach was actually a human. The poor dear was so scared when he first showed up and met us." Sibella giggled as she mentioned the last part.

Shaggy's head sunk as he groaned. Just because he was a coward didn't mean he liked being ribbed about it. But the truth was the truth. "Yeah… I thought the sign out front was, like, a joke or something. 'Finishing School for Ghouls'… Then again, like, I probably should have guessed from the building looking like a giant haunted house…"

Velma and Daphne snickered. "Well, look before you leap, Shaggy." Daphne playfully advised.

"So, like, I knock on the door and Ms. G invites us in. She was a sweet lady, despite the building she lived in. She went over some things and then tried to introduce us to the students. Uhh… That didn't end well at first." Shaggy continued, chuckling nervously in embarrassment.

"To be fair, I probably shouldn't have made my entrance in my bat form… But alas. Let's just say that I got an immediate demonstration of how athletic he could be. Fast runner, this one." Sibella said as she looked Shaggy over. He didn't seem to have changed much at all since her time in school. Just as lanky and somewhat boyish as ever. His business probably kept him on his toes quite literally, she figured.

"Like, it took me a little while to realize that they weren't out to get me, but when I did, things were copacetic enough, considering. Well, except for Matches, Ms. G's pet dragon… That little guy never really liked us, did he, Scoob?"

"Rire reath..." Scooby grumbled, still a little afraid of when somebody or something gets literally red in the face because of that little dragon's antics.

"Yep, Scoob. Fire breath… Like, not fun. But other than that, the girls were actually pretty cool. Obviously, there was Sibella here. Then there was Winnie the werewolf. Man, was she, like, feisty! Then there was Phantasma. Like, she was pretty nutty, but likable. Um… No offense to her, but just don't get her to sing… Elsa was the egghead of the bunch, but that was kinda obvious for what she was. Like, you'd have to be smart to maintain yourself when you're the created offspring of Frankenstein and his Bride. Finally, there was Tanis, like, the youngest of the class. She's a mummy. A pretty shy one, but very adorable."

"A class of five? At least that seems quite manageable, considering the whole monster thing." Daphne mused.

"Yeah. Imagine if it was the size of a public school class." Fred added, snickering as he saw Shaggy pale in the rear view mirror.

"Like, don't even joke, man! That would be rough." Shaggy groused, grabbing a loose box of Scooby Snacks and absently munching on one. Curious, Sibella reached into the box and pulled out one of the little biscuits, looking it over.

"What amazed us was the fact that Shaggy not only stayed around to teach, despite his fears, but he also wanted to get to know us. He began seeing us as fellow people, not as things to be scared of, unlike some other humans. Believe me, the five of us had run into our share of human cowards and even a bigot or two. So a friendly human was a huge benefit for us, very compatible with Ms. Grimwood's insistence on the belief of coexistence."

"That's our Shaggy alright. Easy to scare, but a heart of gold." Velma proudly confirmed.

"Indeed. In fact, his teaching and care helped us get over some bullying that we had been subjected to for a while at that time. Nearby our school was another school, a military school for human boys. They were quite intolerable… Pulling immature pranks, calling us names, pushing us around, the sort of thing that you might have heard about other human kids at that age." She lamented before eating the Scooby Snack.

"Yeah, bullying is a problem within some human schools. It's the kind of thing that unfortunately keeps lingering around." Velma admitted. "What happened with your bullies?"

"Well, to settle the feud, our headmasters had scheduled a volleyball match to take place near the end of the semester. To put the long story short, Shaggy's exercise regimen and inspiration helped us win the match. We couldn't have done it without him. It's nice to have someone to help fly you out of a slump. I know that was a while back, but thank you again, Shaggy." she concluded, smiling warmly at the foodie, her fangs peeking out in a way that Shaggy found to be a nice touch.

"Um, like, no need to thank me again, Sibella…" Shaggy replied, not expecting to be put in any sort of metaphorical spotlight.

"Aren't we the modest one." the vampire remarked, giving him a pat on the back. "By the way, what's in these Scooby Snacks of yours? I tried one and I suddenly seem more alert."

"Oddly enough, we're not sure." Velma answered with a shrug. "We've… just always had them. It helped Shaggy and Scooby get over their fear when they needed a boost." The mystery of what exactly were Scooby Snacks was as unexplainable as the reason why criminals seemed to feel the need to dress up as local monster legends. Perhaps the word of Mystery Inc's deeds still hadn't become mainstream knowledge. Most likely, most crooks had that 'It'll never happen to me!' way of thinking…

"So what happened after that, Shaggy? Was the job only for one semester?" Fred asked before the others could think too much about the unexplained mysteries of their lives.

"Ms. G did want to keep us around, like, since she was impressed with all that we had done. But… well… uh… I thought one year was good enough." Shaggy answered, a little too quickly for some of the occupants of the van. They knew Shaggy well enough to know that he was covering up something, most likely another embarrassing moment. Unfortunately for Shaggy and Scooby, Sibella remembered too well what happened.

"Oh, there's no need to hide, Shaggy… I understood your concerns perfectly well. After all, the new students that showed up for next semester weren't exactly as… sophisticated as we were. Ugh… I wish I could have fled with you." Sibella frowned as she recalled the new students she had to share the school with when the new year began.

"Like, really? They were that bad?"

"The aliens, for example… They got into everything. Too curious for their own good. That eventually came back to haunt them… Uhh… Oh bats, this is awkward… They kept trying to see what we looked like naked, presumably for their research. I hope they added to their knowledge the scientific fact that werewolves do NOT like being poked and prodded 'down there' against their will."

"Zoinks!"

"The others were little better. It was a rough year. Ms Grimwood eventually had to expel the whole batch of students for their own misbehavior. And then the year after… Remember those bullies I had mentioned? They had the nerve to try to ask us out on dates. Repeatedly… I'm sorry but I refuse to be courted by a Neanderthal just because he notices my growing body." she stated, waving a hand down to indicate her body, which Shaggy couldn't help but notice was very well-developed. "The others felt the same way, although Phantasma had a few creative ideas to give them the worst dates they've ever had. I put a stop to her schemes, though. I felt that her actions would just reinforce their previous negative views about monster-kind. Some firm lectures were quite enough."

"Gee, I would think they would be. Some guys do have a hard time accepting the word 'no'." added Daphne, recalling the few times she had to put her foot down on guys she rejected. None of them had been a particularly fun experience.

"Looking back on it… It did kind of help drive the point home when I kindly informed them of what my father would do to boys that hurt me, if I were to tell him. He was as powerful as the legends said, after all." Sibella couldn't help but smirk with pride at the memory of the scared looks of the Calloway Cadets. Why hadn't she brought the subject up in the first place?

Velma, being ever so observant, noticed something about her choice of words. "What do you mean by 'was', Sibella?"

And there it was. The reason why she was reunited with her coach in the first place. Her proper posture slumped with a sudden bout of worry. "Ah… That. Yes… Well… There's a problem back home in Transylvania… A big problem." Her voice was suddenly dulled, with noticeable sorrow. With that, she began to tell of Dracula's temper and sudden war against the local humanity, the invasion of the Dracula family home, and her narrow escape from certain death at the hands of a righteously vengeful human warrior. The gang could tell that, as annoyed and fed up with the elder vampire's short fuse as she was, she did still worry about him. He was family, legendary villain or not.

Of course, Shaggy had bad memories of Sibella's father, having not forgotten a certain road race involving a certain werewolf curse… A small part of him did feel somewhat satisfied that someone was taking it to him for a change. After all, his temper did end up killing innocent people in this latest development. Still, he understood why Sibella would be concerned. It was kind of funny to try and imagine Dracula himself as a family man, though.

"…and I figure I'll be here for a few days until this blows over and it's safe to go back. Either father wins this battle or I'm coming home to an empty castle… We shall see, I suppose. Um… In the meantime, would it be alright if I stayed with you and your friends, Shaggy? I could certainly use some good company and your journey might help me get my mind off of this." Sibella asked, turning her pleading eyes toward her favorite foodie. Looking into said eyes, Shaggy just couldn't say no to her, which prompted certain 'whipped' jokes from Fred and even a jab from Daphne about how some nice guys can never resist when a woman turns on the ol' waterworks, embarrassing both Shaggy and Sibella to the sounds of Scooby's signature laugh.

And so, the vampire became part of Mystery Inc.

The next night, the group's luck with stumbling into supposedly haunted areas by chance proved to be true yet again as they stopped at a hotel for the night. Three rooms, they had rented. One for Velma, one for Fred and Daphne, and the third for Shaggy, Sibella, and Scooby. The vampire had insisted on Shaggy's room, even though Velma had thought to keep the remaining women in the same room. But who was she to tell vampire royalty what to do? Besides, it was just Shaggy. Nothing perverted would happen, that much was definite.

But before the group could get much sleep, they met the reason why the innkeeper was grumbling about extremely low business as of late: A deranged, zombified bellhop who attacked people with glowing suitcases. But, unlike most of their mysteries, this monster caper was put to a sudden halt when he had loudly burst into Shaggy's room and scared him. For what else would make a better bodyguard than a vampire?

The ghoulish bellhop hadn't even swung one suitcase before it found itself grabbed by the neck by a very purple woman, somehow cutting off its air supply even though she grabbed him with one hand. In the dark, her eyes seemed to glow an eerie green. "You dare disturb our sleep? What's the meaning of this, you cur? Do you not have a master, lost soul?" she scolded as if she were back home and one of Dracula's minions had done something foolish.

"Le….ggh…Lemme go…" a voice gurgled out. Shaggy, having realized with a little surprise that Sibella had the situation under control, realized that this was yet another human playing at being a monster. That voice sounded a little too healthy to be a zombie, even with Sibella's grip constricting his throat.

"You can talk. Astounding, for a supposedly mindless zombie. I believe I was told of people like you from my friends… Humans that put on costumes to scare others for petty reasons. What filth…" Loosening her grip on the neck while maintaining her hold, she used her other hand to rip the mask off, revealing a scared middle-aged man underneath. "See? Not so scary anymore, are you? I believe we should hand you over to the authorities now, yes Shaggy?"

"Uh… Like… Yeah…" He couldn't take his eyes off of her, seeing her take control of the situation like that. A part of him figured that it was just her using her natural vampire abilities of speed and strength to subdue the crook. But another part of him still thought, even though he could only make out silhouettes, her display of power was….sexy.

"Hmm… Won't you be a dear and fetch the local police while I secure the prisoner?" Sibella suggested, not taking her eyes off the scared perpetrator. Shaggy agreed, turned on a light to find his phone, and picked it up from the nightstand to dial 911. A quick look around the room revealed just the thing Sibella could use to present the very-much-alive bellhop 'monster' to the cops. With unnatural speed and a flurry of bedsheets, Sibella tied the criminal up in such a way where his arms and legs were completely bound behind him. It almost looked like the kind of rope-tying used to prepare a prisoner for old-school torture.

"There. One criminal, fang-tastically packaged." Sibella exclaimed with pride.

"Wha… What the hell are you?!" the criminal gasped in fright, getting a clearer look at Sibella's purple complexion in the light, which was a lot more evident since she had changed into a simple nightgown (obviously purple) that she had packed for her escape. The crook also couldn't help but notice the little white points that were her fangs protruding from her mouth as she smirked at her rope-tying effort.

"Oh, nothing you need to worry too much about. Just a REAL monster… But you should be lucky. My friend over there, a human, and his dog would be very disappointed if I were to do something… horrific…" Sibella trailed off cryptically, putting on a sinister fanged sneer to scare him in hopes that this crook wouldn't want to try breaking the law again.

The criminal quivered with fear as he tried to imagine what she'd try to do with those sharp teeth. With her captive suitably cowed, Sibella turned her attention to Shaggy and Scooby, the foodie having finished his call a minute ago. "All set, Shaggy. Are they on their way?"

"Like, yep. Wow, Sibella, that was… That was pretty awesome." Shaggy said in awe. Sibella blushed a little. "Oh, that? Um… That was nothing, Shaggy… Just defending us." She suddenly found the floor interesting as Shaggy's praise echoed in her head.

"Like, yeah, but the way you just went up and got him… I could never do that. I mean, like, I know you're a vampire and have these abilities and all, but…" Shaggy stopped, feeling awkward and unsure of what to say. He knew what he felt about it but wasn't sure how to properly express it.

"I understand…" Sibella said quietly, her face now a mix of purple and red. Inside, her head was in the clouds. Her former coach thought she was cool. Her! For a moment, she had thought it was merely because he was a human and all helpful super-abilities would seem amazing to him anyway in a 'grass is greener on the other side' kind of way. But it wasn't like this was his first time around friendly monsters, of course. He had seen her class' abilities in action before. Not to mention, a couple of the stories that he and his friends had told her while traveling in the van… So for him to consider her, out of all monsters he'd met, to be awesome was…. fang-tastic! At least, that was the conclusion she decided to go with.

"Dammit, when did this turn into a bad chick flick? Get a freakin' room, idiots!" the criminal piped up, his fear diminished by the awkward scene happening mere feet from him. "How rude…" Sibella muttered. Moment: ruined.

"Like, we are in one…" Shaggy shot back timidly. Scooby snickered at the criminal having the obvious be pointed out to him.

"Ris guy rants a ree row…" the dog joked, still snickering.

"A free show?" Shaggy questioned, his face blushing as much as Sibella. "Like, Scoob, we're not…. It's not like… umm…"

"Shaggy, it's ok. I know it's a joke. After all, we've only just reunited. It certainly wouldn't be proper, especially with a captive audience. Let us take this guy down to the lobby to meet the officers when they get here." Sibella said, taking charge of this sudden farce as she picked the tied criminal up with ease and left the room.

Before they left to follow her, a confused Shaggy turned to Scooby. "Like, way to go, Scoob… I think we weirded her out, man."

"Ro re ridn't… Re rid." Scooby defended, pointing to where the criminal was tied up moments ago.

"Sigh… Let's just go down and take care of this and then we can all get some sleep." he said, the two of them exiting to follow their purple friend.

The next morning brought a continuation of their journey as Fred, Daphne, and Velma were surprised by Shaggy's tale of the events of the previous night. Apparently, Shaggy's room had been the first stop in the criminal's nightly scheme. His last stop for quite some time, after what happened. Sibella blushed again at Shaggy's continued appraisal of the way she subdued the fake zombie. To her, it almost sounded like he was proud of her. As a former teacher would be proud of a former student, she thought at one point. She began to wonder exactly how Shaggy saw her. As a vampire? Still that schoolgirl he had met those years ago? Or perhaps as a potential mate? Not for the first time in recent days, she begun to think of what might happen if he was indeed interested…

Back in the Mystery Machine, as they headed toward their next destination, Shaggy had a chance to ask Sibella something he was curious about. "Hmm… Hey, Sibella, do you know, like, what the others have been up to since you graduated?"

Sibella smiled at such a pleasant topic. "Oh, yes. I have been in regular contact with them since then. Such adventures they have gotten themselves into. It's so batty! Let's see… Little Tanis learned to fully overcome her timidity, thanks mostly to your inspiration when you taught us. She actually runs her own podcast, only broadcasted to monster frequencies. It's mostly about monster pop-culture, but her topics vary. Although, I think she misunderstands what podcast means… She actually has this pod she goes inside to broadcast her stuff. Hehe… Always so adorable, that little mummy." the vampire gushed, remembering when she and Tanis crammed inside the pod the undead Egyptian thought she had to have for her show. Sort of like cramming into a mall photo booth.

"Wow! Is it popular?" Daphne asked, impressed with how adaptable monsters can be. Podcast mummies! What next?

"It's gaining some ground, last I heard. Although she does have some competitors. I shouldn't be surprised at that. After all, podcasting is the current thing, yes? But I have faith she can thrive." Timid or not, Sibella knew that Tanis was not one to give up.

"Like, that's wonderful of her. Glad to see her come out of her shell." Shaggy said, his pride as a teacher beginning to grow.

"Indeed. Hmm… Winnie became the first werewolf to go into the human sport of… what was it again? Mixed Martial Arts? Yes, I do believe that was it. She always did have a penchant for getting physical with others, although most would contribute that to her species' nature. She hasn't gotten much success as far as mainstream popularity yet, but she suspects that might not be any of her own fault. She mentions in one of her recent letters of this one famous human that transferred to her sport from a completely different one and the management treated him like some sort of royalty (2). Perhaps it is indeed all in who you know…"

"Heh. I always thought she liked playing rough a little too much." Shaggy remarked with a chuckle.

"How about that, Fred? Now that sounds like a strong woman." Daphne chimed in, just busting her boyfriend's chops a little.

"Yeah. I don't think I want to even picture the idea of what could happen if she lost a match. Werewolves do have tempers, right?" the blond asked, beginning to wonder if this Winnie's opponents threw their matches because of her species.

"Indeed they do. But I know Winnie. She likes a good challenge. She'd take her rage out on training equipment. Or in bed with a lucky guy." Sibella giggled. Her blunt friend had decided not to skimp on the fact that she had taken someone to her kennel, so to speak. Her latest letter had said that she had finally made their relationship official when he, a human, allowed her to turn him with a bite.

"Too much information, Sibella. Who's next?" Shaggy asked, chuckling along.

"Well, Phantasma had a bit of trouble, but she came out smelling like nightshade. Or roses, as you humans might phrase it. Long story short, she ended up forcing her way to being the lead songstress for a heavy metal band, the only genre of human music that can handle her banshee style singing. Oh, no worries, though. Her music isn't all doom-and-gloom like some heavy metal bands tend to get. She tends to make her songs cover the spectrum of moods. Almost as erratically as she herself behaves, as a matter of fact. We should attend a concert sometime, Shaggy." Now there was a thought: Sibella and her favorite human, alone in a mass of concert goers with the melodies of her ghostly friend accompanying their time together.

"Like, yeah. That might be fun."

"As for Elsa, she has managed to successfully blend in with humanity so far in her current goal of seeing the world. She travels from one famous locale to another, to see the sights and to learn the ways of humanity. Being one of a kind, aside from her parents, Elsa figures that learning to be more human might be beneficial for her. She sent us postcards as she went. Paris, Rome, Tokyo, Moscow, Las Vegas, and more."

"Wow. Glad to hear there's another traveler out there, enjoying life while she can." Daphne said, waxing poetic about the gang's own fondness of travel. Got to respect the love of the open road, after all.

"Yes. Hmm… Elsa is a good person, but she's very to-the-point during conversation. It will be interesting to see if her travels helped increase her social skills to include nuances like subtlety, slang, and perhaps some puns."

"Or she could, like, just learn how to make her point in multiple languages." Shaggy jokes.

"Fair point." Sibella giggled.

After that, the conversation trailed off toward questions about Sibella herself and what it was like being Dracula's daughter, which the purple vampire didn't mind answering despite her worries about how her home was faring.

The next morning, Sibella was able to get answers to her nagging concerns when she mentally sensed a change occurring. It had to do with her link to her father and their mystical castle. What she sensed didn't seem to be very positive, a factor that Shaggy and Scooby noticed when they saw her suddenly change facial expressions during breakfast.

"Like, what's wrong, Sibella? Something wrong with your egg and sausage sandwich?" Shaggy asked, hoping it was nothing more than an undercooked meal.

"No, Shaggy… It's over. The conflict at home, that is. The battle is finally over. But I don't like what I'm feeling… I think…. I think Father may have lost." She felt a wave of sorrow. Sure, her father had a vastly different world view than her, to the point of blatant disagreement and the occasional outrage. But she knew he was always proud of her and her accomplishments.

Shaggy put a comforting hand on her shoulder as he sat next to her, his past encounter with the Lord of Vampires making him unsure of what to say. "Like… I'm sorry, Sibella…"

"Jinkies… Dracula himself, defeated in combat? That almost seems unthinkable." Velma remarked, recalling how powerful the legends usually made him out to be.

"Does this mean you have to go home?" Daphne asked. The redhead had gotten to like Sibella already after convincing her to join her and Daphne for some girl talk the previous night. She admired the vampire's fashion sense and classy-yet-friendly personality.

"I will. But…" she trailed off, seemingly torn. Velma, noticing that her gaze kept drifting toward the food-obsessed man next to her, ventured a guess. "You don't really feel like leaving your friend behind, huh?" Sibella shook her head.

"Well, you can just teleport back here, right…?" Fred asked, figuring that transportation spells can take someone anywhere at will.

"It depends. Going home is no problem. Usually, when casting teleportation spells, one would have to know the general area of where you want to go but since you're all travelers... it doesn't really help me focus on where I want to go because I don't know this area at all. I could use the same spell I used to get to you in the first place, but after reading the spell, I could end up being sent randomly to another of my friends and I'd have to try to track you down if I were to try to get back to you. Maybe if I focus on Shaggy while casting it… I've haven't had much reason to use this spellbook. On the other wing, I could try to sense Shaggy's location and go from there, but… Transylvania is a long way from America."

"Yeah, that would be a long flight…" Daphne said, imagining Sibella having a long plane trip with so many typical airplane/airport problems. Misplaced luggage, being crammed in Coach, perhaps being selected for additional screening because of her foreign heritage and purple complexion…

"Quite. I don't think my wings would have had such a workout." Sibella mused, causing Daphne to go a little red in embarrassment, having forgotten that the vampire could just morph into a bat and fly.

"Hmm…. Like, I got it! We're actually not too far away from our hometown right now. You can go check on things and, like, we'll just hang at our place until ya come back. I can even get you a map of the region to help you find our city if you have to go the long way." Shaggy suggested.

"That's a good idea. If anything major happens, I will send word."

Sibella's return home was eventful and lasted a couple of days. Her first discovery of the apparent human victory over the undead was right upon arrival. There was no castle left at all. Only a few small pieces of ruin that looked like they had just sat there for centuries undisturbed. Oh, and the scattered piles of possessions that now lay on the ground, of course. Dracula's castle was said to be magically linked to the vampire himself, changing ever so often whenever its master beckoned it to. No castle would most likely mean…no Dracula.

After her disorientation from teleporting wore off, as well as the shock of her home suddenly being nonexistent, it didn't take her very long to find what happened to her father. The stubborn master of her species was found impaled by what appeared to be an enlarged version of a shish-kebob skewer, another of the strange food-based weaponry that the lone warrior was reported to be wielding. It wasn't hard to identify him from his familiar clothes and the obvious fangs, despite having degenerated to nothing more than a skeleton.

She expected to feel grief over his apparent death. And she was indeed sad. But her sorrow was tempered with annoyance over what led to this fate. If only he would have just… Cutting her mental rant short, she quietly chided herself, having gone down that path enough times. Falling to her knees, she let herself go and cried. His final week of actions may not have been the most honorable, but he was still her father.

Her grief attracted the attention of a couple of Dracula's leftover minions, having the fortune to survive both the human warrior and the fall to the ground via disappearing castle. A zombie and a living suit of armor. It didn't take them long to follow the sounds of sniffling and sobbing. They came across the familiar sight of their master's daughter. 'Finally, someone from our side.' they probably would have e thought if they had sentient intelligence. They stood over Sibella, expecting a command or at least recognition.

A couple of moments later, the purple vampiress realized that she had company. Rubbing the tears out of her eyes, she noticed the two undead and counted herself fortunate, for she would need help in formally disposing of her father's body. She momentarily wondered if she had official command over her father's horde, now that he had passed. For all she knew, these two merely recognized her as an authority figure in general. Dracula had not taken the opportunity to explain what would happen upon his death, as proud as he was of her being next in line. Ego had a tendency to not take such bad outcomes into consideration…

She gave her new 'friends' a couple of orders. The suit of armor was to find her father's coffin/bed, which it had no problem locating after ten minutes of exploring the wide expanse of flatland, ruin, and scattered possessions. The zombie was to dig a hole for the grave, which it frantically started to do with its bare hands, almost like a dog would. When the armor dragged the coffin over, Sibella noticed that it was slightly damaged from the fall. But it was intact enough to serve its purpose. Yanking the makeshift 'stake' out of Dracula's chest, Sibella gently picked up the skeletal remains and placed it in the open casket. She positioned it in the typical manner of having the body straight and the arms crossed over the chest.

Heaving a sigh as she took one last look at the defeated remains of the King of Vampires, she gently closed the coffin and turned to check on the progress of the hole the zombie pawn was digging. Looking down when she got there, she noted that the grave seemed deep enough. Recalling her zombie, she then ordered her two minions to bring the casket over. Carefully, of course. They placed the coffin next to the sloppily-dug hole, as if waiting for the official command to put it in.

Sibella placed a hand upon the casket lid, one last farewell. She hoped that the humans of Transylvania could finally rest easy, for they were only defending themselves. If she had indeed inherited her father's title of ruler, she would strive to be a just leader, one that believed in coexistence. There had to be a better way for vampires to get their necessary blood. For instance, the concept that humans donated blood for medical purposes… Would purchasing blood packs not be an acceptable method of feeding? Perhaps it depended on the mindset of individual vampires… But that could wait.

With the help of her two minions, the casket was placed in the grave and buried. As one final gesture of respect, the purple vampire had the living armor take a slab of stone from the few pieces of old ruins and carve out a tombstone with its enhanced sword. The work was hasty and amateurish, but Sibella didn't mind. A sloppy tombstone for a sloppy end, she supposed. For a moment, she had wondered what happened to her 'stepmother' through all this. But merely a moment. She had things to take care of. Starting with all the possessions that didn't disappear with the castle. Wouldn't be long before the possibility of curious parties came into play…

After hours of sorting out the large multitude of items, which included Dracula's physical wealth of gold and jewels, Sibella managed to get a few hours of troubled sleep within her own coffin. She had dreams and visions of what might have been Dracula's final moments, fighting the angry human. These glimpses were followed by a nightmare of the warrior cornering her with no way out. The human raised his razor sharp….oversized spatula. ('Humans are strange…' she remembered thinking.) But his incoming blow was blocked by… Shaggy?

"Like, leave her alone, man!" Dream-Shaggy demanded, having intercepted the mad warrior's strike with his shield, which was a wok. For some silly reason (or perhaps the dream at work), Shaggy wore a spaghetti colander as a helmet and had an oversized steak knife as a sword. The warrior fell back a step or two, sizing up his latest opponent. "Away with you, puny thrall. I seek to rid this earth of the Dracula bloodline!" the human spat with what appeared to be a noble tone.

"Like, who or what is 'Thrall', man? I'm just protecting my friend. She didn't do anything wrong." Dream-Shaggy replied, 'sword' and 'shield' at the ready. The warrior's look turned grim. "Such is the talk of those under a vampire's control, not realizing the danger they or their mistress present…"

"Mistress?" Dream-Shaggy gulped. Sibella couldn't help but notice him blush a little. "Like, no. I was just her gym teacher from school. She's a good friend of mine. Look, it's not her ya want, man. She wouldn't hurt anyone on purpose!" he stammered, really hoping that the rampaging cook or whatever he was supposed to be with his bizarre weaponry would see reason.

"Gym teacher? A likely story… Still, the job must be finished in the name of the Belmont legacy!" the warrior declared before lunging again toward Sibella. The purple woman shrieked as the incoming blow was one again stopped by her Coach, steak knife clanging with spatula. Thus the battle over a misunderstanding was engaged.

As Sibella partially expected from her cowardly teacher, Shaggy was mostly defensive, only taking a swing when he was certain his attack wouldn't cost him a limb or worse. "Like, I'm telling ya, she's not evil!" Dream-Shaggy yelled over the clang of spatula on wok-shield. "Leave her alone!"

"Foolish pawn. She cannot be trusted! Her kind must be destroyed!" the vampire hunter scolded, kicking Shaggy in the gut after his latest attack was blocked, taking advantage of his novice opponent's focus on his shield work. Shaggy stumbled backward, barely having the awareness to deflect his foe's next thrust.

"You're wrong, man. Like, I trust her with my life." the foodie retorted with conviction, shocking Sibella. She subconsciously knew this was a dream, but his statement still caused her to blush. After all, no male had said anything like that to her before (not counting the Calloway Cadets' false pretenses when they tried to court her and the Ghouls).

She was about to muse about her favorite human when it happened. The hunter had managed to get past Shaggy's shield and slice him with his sharpened novelty weapon, blood gushing out of his now-open face and chest…

"SHAGGY!" Sibella cried, waking up suddenly. Panting, she opened her casket, thankful that it was only a dream. It was daytime again, shaping up to be a lovely day of sun and blue sky, an unusual thing for the normally gloomy region. Another sign that Dracula was no longer reigning supreme. Her mind wandered back to the dream, specifically the fact that Shaggy had been the proverbial knight in shining armor to try and chase away the nightmare. She blushed.

Wondering about her growing feelings for her former teacher, she climbed out of the coffin. She still had items to sort through. One never realizes how much material items she has until her home vanishes into nothingness and leaves everything a mess on the ground. A few more hours of sorting through her clothes, her library of books, her small collection of human music CDs (a gift from Phantasma), and other items of hers, she realized that she needed a place to store at least her stuff. Taking up her spell book again, she located a spell for conjuring items and proceeded to bring forth a series of large chests, her sorted items neatly placing themselves within them.

After that was done, she had come to a conclusion about her feelings. She would go to Shaggy and see if he was perhaps interested in the courting process. If she was indeed the new ruler of vampires, she hoped that the responsibility and the power wouldn't be too much of a liability from his standpoint.

"Madam Dracula?" a voice called from a distance. She turned, not expecting any company. It was a lone human, dressed in a strange combination of a casual tee, khakis, and combat boots, as if he scrounged up the outfit at random. Sibella could tell that it was a vampire's thrall, a brainwashed human used for daytime tasks. "Yes? What is it?"

"Uh, I was sent to confirm for my mistress what she had sensed… Indeed, Lord Dracula has ceased to exist. In that case… my mistress informed me that there would be much to discuss."

It had been a while since Mystery Inc had stayed in their apartments in Coolsville. The first thing the group had done was stock up on groceries, especially for the resident bottomless stomachs. Then, Daphne had the group dust their apartments, reminding them that it wouldn't be proper if Sibella were to come back to a filthy hovel. Shaggy had to agree. His place wasn't much compared to what his purple student was probably used to back home, but he did feel like he should try to impress anyway. After cleaning, there wasn't much to do.

Currently, Shaggy was channel surfing, bouncing between the Food Network (duh) and sitcom reruns. He wasn't really paying attention, his mind diverted to thoughts of Sibella. Mainly, his concern about what might be going on over there. After all, for all he knew, the person that slain her father might have been still in the area and had discovered her or something. He didn't know much about Transylvania, but after hearing what Dracula did, it was a fair assumption that the region's people believed that the only good vampire was a dead one…

When he wasn't worried about her safety, he was puzzled by his own thoughts of her. Ever since they had reunited, Shaggy had occasionally had wandering thoughts about how much she had grown and how pretty she had become. The thoughts always eventually lingered around her looks, imagining those eyes staring at him, that fanged mouth smirking at him, her well-endowed body moving smoothly and sensually, framed by her long flowing locks of hair... And there he goes again, thinking sexy thoughts. Scolding to himself quietly, he changed the channel yet again. Just as he did, a sudden swirl of energy built up in front of him out of nowhere, surprising him enough to jump up and hide behind the recliner he was sitting on.

The energy quickly formed a portal. Moments later, a familiar figure shot out of it, landing right on the soft cushions of the recliner, upside down. A group of five old-school chests shot out of it, landing with thuds on the floor, thankfully not crashing into anything. Shaggy responded to the sudden loud noise with a shriek and a "Zoinks!".

"Shaggy? Whoa… I made it." Sibella said aloud, mostly to herself. Disoriented from the portal travel, she remained positioned upside down on the recliner. Shaggy, instantly recognizing her voice, stood up and looked over the recliner. His face turned red as he realized that he was getting an abrupt upskirt view, gravity hiking up her dress to reveal her fine legs and her purple panties. Was that lace?

Her vision clearing, Sibella tilted her head downward (technically, upward) to notice the red-faced foodie. She wondered in her slight mental haze what he was blushing for when she then realized that her panties were showing. With a loud brief shriek, she tried pushing her dress back down and used both hands to hold it down. Her action, however, caused her position to be even more precarious to the point where she ended up sliding down off of the chair, clumsily landing on the floor, her forelegs being the only part of her still on the seat of the chair.

Shaggy, having covered his eyes in a futile gesture at her shriek, cringed at the sounds of her struggling with her predicament. "Like, I'm sorry, Sibella! I didn't mean to look! Honest! I was just trying to see if you were OK." he stammered, eyes still covered. After a moment, the purple woman managed to get to her feet, dusting herself off. She looked frustrated, but knew better than to blow up at her dear friend over a simple mistake. Even so, she could have done without the embarrassment.

"It's alright, dear Shaggy. No harm done, really. I suppose I'm not used to teleportation. Flying is more of my style, but necessity being what it is…" she said with a sigh. Shaggy noticed her forlorn look and invited her to sit on his chair, which she did. Sitting on the floor beside her, Shaggy turned to her. "So…. What happened?"

And so, Sibella told Shaggy about how she found her home gone and her father slain, how she buried Dracula, and spent a good chunk of time sorting through clothes and items. But that wasn't all that happened…

"It was then that a messenger came for me. Word of Dracula's defeat had reached most of vampire kind. It seemed they had felt a momentary void, that of a great power disappearing, and knew that he had indeed fallen, similar to what I had felt. I was informed that, with my bloodline, I should take over as the next Dracula. And I am…"

"Like…. Really? You're the big cheese now? That's… well… impressive! I think…" Shaggy wasn't sure what to say, as she had gotten the title at the expense of losing family. Sibella smiled at his demeanor, knowing the human meant well.

"Thank you, Shaggy. Which brings me to my next point… Back when he was more focused on his rule than his personal matters, my father didn't rule alone, despite appearances. He took a bride. My biological mother. Even though she would eventually leave a few years after I was born because of his changing behavior, it made sense to me that two heads were better than one. Especially now, as this role was suddenly put upon me. I… I think I need help, Shaggy."

Shaggy tilted his head, wondering just how he could possibly be of help. He didn't have any idea how to even be a leader of humans, much less a leader of vampires. He also wasn't exactly a Casanova of any sort, so how could he help her find a suitable guy? "Like, what can I do, Sibella?"

"Nothing major, I assure you. After my father's rule, I figure that my species might need a change of direction. For too long, we have been seen and even behaved as predators. You have always seemed like a sensible person. Perhaps you might have some ideas to help prevent any more retaliatory incidents like this from happening." From his point of view, Shaggy could almost picture Sibella sitting on some sort of gothic throne, regal and powerful in her own right. But right now, she was his good friend in need of help, sitting on his favorite recliner.

"Uh… Hate to break it to you, like, but that sounds pretty major. Don't some of you actually enjoy the hunt?"

Sibella nodded, grimly. "The thirst for blood influences some differently than others, due to individual personalities. Some would rather embrace the hunt indeed, rather than find a better way. I understand that simply ordering them to stop hunting would not go over very well…"

Shaggy nodded, knowing that such a decree would be like asking certain corporations to stop being greedy or asking certain celebrities to quit posting scandalous selfies. "Like, maybe you could discuss things with ones you know would be more sympathetic to your cause? Ya know, start a movement or something about different ways."

Sibella knew he would say something to that effect. She smiled. The seed of her plan had been planted. Truly, she wanted and appreciated her former coach's input, but what better way for her to get him used to the idea of ruling beside her without alienating the mortal?

And so, Sibella officially became part of Mystery Inc, sometimes leaving to take care of official vampire business, usually dealing with stubborn vamps that blatantly killed humans in defiance of her rule's new ethics, almost like a purple, female, all-vampire version of Blade. But beside that, her time was spent with her new friends. The new vampire queen, as bizarre as it would sound to many, would be one that liked watching movies with friends, going out dancing at a local club, and living with a roommate in an apartment building.

Often enough, Sibella would ask Shaggy and only him about a matter pertaining to her royal duties, usually advice or his opinion on something. The foodie still wasn't sure why she didn't ask Velma about some of these things, he felt so out of place about them. But he tried anyway. Who was he to refuse the woman who was quickly becoming so dear to him? In retrospect, he did find it pretty cool that she would include him in an important, supernatural responsibility like that. Not many others could say that they help lead a race of mythical people.

A couple of months had went by as Mystery Inc continued to enjoy their time at home. But something interesting would happen on one fateful night. Sibella was insistent that Shaggy join her in her weekly sojourn to the dance club, more insistent than he'd ever seen the classy queen be. But he agreed to go, glad that she appeared to be in such good spirits. He wasn't sure why she was so intent on his accompanying her this time. Or why she seemed so excited by it. It wasn't like he and/or the others had never gone clubbing with her before.

He noted that he was the only one that she had asked to go with her this particular time, his thoughts quickly turning toward his growing attraction to her. Perhaps, in his mind, this could be considered a date. But he knew better than to assume things like that right away. Still, dancing with her alone amongst the throng of humanity would be a treat.

At least, it was a treat until 5 minutes into the dancing when some macho jock shoved him out of the way and started to hit on Sibella. "Hey, baby. How about you ditch the twig there and get with a real man, huh? Purple looks great on you and you'll look great on me." said the oaf, unaware of the deadly glare that the purple woman instantly had upon seeing her favorite human discarded so. Shaggy, used to being picked on, just stood there, knowing he couldn't do much of anything if the bigger man decided to fight. But then, a thought occurred…

He realized that Sibella was watching. An irrelevant observation to most, but to him, the fact caused him to panic mentally. What would she think? Would she indeed think of him as a complete coward, scared of EVERYTHING? Monsters, he believed was an understandable fear, but… The timidity had never bothered him before (other than the stress from monsters chasing him, of course). Hell, she had seen him be scared before. He was used to it. But not this time. With nerves of….something that definitely wasn't steel, he approached the bully. "Like, excuse me, dude. I was dancing with her." he said, his voice quivering.

"And now you're not, boy." The jerk then shoved him again, harder this time so that he fell over, landing on his ass. When the guy turned his head back to the hot cosplaying babe, he saw nothing but a purple little fist speeding toward his face. Sudden pain shot through his skull, overwhelming the fact that her punch sent him flying backward a good fifteen feet, crashing to the ground. It was mere luck that the launched body hadn't crashed into any of the surrounding dancers who were unaware of the situation. Sibella stormed toward the fallen braggart, an epitome of wrath.

"You uncouth cretin…!" she growled, loud enough for him and nearby civilians to hear. "Don't you dare put your hands on him again! That man has more honor and class than you will ever have!" Her outburst was met with some cheers to the effect of "You go, girl!", "Kick his ass!", and even a drunken rendition of "Stand By Your Man". The punk sat up, coughing and snickering at the same time. "Him? A man? Look at him! You're way out of his league… (coughs) Hot breeds with hot only. That's society's expectation! What good is honor and class if you look like you can't even lift twenty pounds, brah!?"

Sibella scoffed as only a high-class noble can. "I didn't come here to look for a brute to move stuff for me. I don't need a brute. Now you will excuse me while I dance with my man. Don't try me again if you know what's good for you." She threatened before backing off toward the sitting Shaggy, who hadn't moved due to his captivation of the sight of a dominant Sibella. Despite his rapt attention (rather, because of it), he noticed Sibella's slip of the tongue. He was HER man?

"Are you alright, dear Shaggy?" the vampire asked, extending a slender hand to help him up. He took it and was about to haul himself up when she gently pulled him up to his feet with a little help from her superior strength, a pleasant smile on her face like the previous incident never happened. "Like, whoa… I'm fine, Sibella. Uhh… Thanks for standing up for me. Umm…" he trailed off, both turned on by her defense of him and a little put off that he didn't seem to have anything to offer her if they were to date. What good would he do for a vampire queen? She had money, power, strength, whatever she wanted…

"Trust me, Shaggy. I don't let anyone damage what's mine. Ever." Was it him or did her voice suddenly sound flirty? Never mind that, was she saying…? Sibella seemed to read his changing facial expressions well. "Yes, my dear Shaggy. If you don't mind, I would like to consider you my consort. Boyfriend, in your layman's terms." She immediately took him by the hands and started dancing, the foodie sluggishly following along as he was surprised by her admission. "Over the past couple of months, I have found myself thinking of you. For you have been truly a caring soul to me in my time of loss and need. Then again, you had always been that way since our school days. It may be silly, but… I had a crush on you back then. You were so amusing that I found it quite charming. I still find you amusing today. Then, when my spell led me to you, I started feeling those emotions again. I had originally thought it was merely a teenage crush, but…" she trailed off, the beat of the music driving her to pull herself close to him in a makeshift sloppy waltz.

"Like, really? I can't believe it. I admit I like you a lot too, but… I thought you wouldn't want someone like me. I mean, you're royalty with superpowers! You could, like, probably get any hunk you'd like… Maybe someone just as powerful." Shaggy confessed, looking downward in self-depreciation. Sibella immediately tilted his head back up, making him look her in the eye.

"I doubt most hunks would care about me as much as you have, human or otherwise. And what about your personality? No one has made me laugh like you do. You think I care about money or power when I already have both? No, I don't. What you can give me… is yourself. I have thought about this for a while, so no more of this talk about you 'being unworthy'. Now… let us dance, my mate." she concluded, picking up the pace of her dancing, her timid partner clumsily trying to keep up. Shaggy would say nothing about how corny that might have sounded, nor would he argue her point. After all, she accepted him for who he is. Best news he heard all night.

No one asked any questions when Shaggy and Sibella came back to the gang's apartments holding hands, snickering to themselves about some joke that Shaggy had whispered to her upon arrival. Fred had a hunch that Shaggy would make a move on her soon. From his standpoint, it looked like he was right. Imagine his reaction when he would soon find out that Sibella was the one to make the first move. ("Should've known…") Velma and Daphne both knew of the vampire's feelings from a previous session of girl talk, which was amusing from the human women's point of view since it wasn't often that women like her got so embarrassed about something. Scooby, having already accepted Sibella as his master's mate (and therefore, another master), wondered if this would mean that Sibella would also take him out for walks…

Sibella, being a queen and a vampire, would end up being the one to wear the pants of the relationship. However, unlike most relationships of the sort where the men would be anywhere from disgruntled to pathetic, Shaggy actually thrived under Sibella's fair, lenient command. He aimed to please, now that he actually had a relationship that seemed like it was actually going to work out well. Besides, it wasn't like he did ALL the chores or anything. (Although he always felt kinda awkward every time he went to the blood bank once a week to purchase her needed drink. He thought the workers would start asking questions about why he buys it so often… How would he explain it?)

His famous cowardice surprisingly decreased as the relationship went on. Of course, monsters still scared him whenever Mystery Inc went on the road to solve mysteries again. But he wasn't as stubborn about avoiding dangerous situations as he used to be. If his lover could deal with corrupt vampires and other dangers while away, he could be bait for some punk in a costume. He just had to remind himself of his own agility, that was all. No problems, right?

As luck would have it, his growing spark of courage was almost extinguished when he ended up breaking a leg during a chase involving a criminal costumed as, ironically enough, a ghost of an old-school prison convict, complete with black and white striped jumpsuit. It happened when the trap sprung. They had prepared a makeshift wooden cage suspended in air by a rope. Shaggy was supposed to lure him under the trap by running from him, like usual, leading him to it. That part was successful. But it looked like the gang had a little problem cutting the rope… There came a standoff. Shaggy refused to move. The crook prepared to lunge, knife in hand, but hesitated, as if wondering if the skinny coward was going to dodge it and do something.

The crook went for it, just as Fred finally cut through the thick rope holding the cage up. With a cry of his favorite catchphrase, Shaggy didn't run, but instead kicked forward. His foot caught the opponent in the gut, stopping him in his tracks enough for the cage to fall on him. But it also fell on Shaggy's extended leg, bringing him to the ground with a snap of bone. Everyone was thankful that they didn't use a steel cage or one made of thick heavy logs…

Sibella just had to be away on another royal duty at the time… It wasn't to anyone's surprise that she was dismayed to hear about her mate's misfortune. She regretted that she had to take care of yet another problem amongst her kind. But the good news was that he would recover within a month, according to the doctors.

Even so, the accident brought to her mind a thought she had toyed with for a little while. It had been 4 months since Sibella confessed at the dance club, but recently, she was reminded of the obvious difference between him and her: the life span. He would die naturally a long time before she would even get middle-aged… It was a sad thought. She imagined it would get sadder as her feelings for him deepened. There was only one solution, of course… but she couldn't do that. She wouldn't do that to him. Could she…? Would he accept the option? Would he get mad for even suggesting it? He did enjoy being human… Granted, she had been subtly preparing him to have a role in helping her rule her kind other than just asking for advice, but still...

"Like, are you OK, Sibella? You look like somebody died." Shaggy observed as he lay on his hospital bed on his tenth day cooped up in bed, leg bound in a cast and raised up. Sibella snapped out of her thoughts, unaware that her face was that readable. "Uh, yes, my mate. I'm fine. Just… worried, I guess. I don't like that this happened."

"Me neither. Like, boy, did that hurt… But I'll be fine. As long as I don't do anything stupid, I shouldn't even have a limp when it's better. Don't worry, Sibella." he said, placing a hand on hers as she stood at his bedside. She took his hand, her frown not abating. After a few moments of silence, he broke it. "Is there something else?"

A pause. There was a lot to get off her chest… "Yes, Shaggy… I've been thinking. Something I've been pondering bat and forth for about a month now, but now I can't get my mind off of it after this injury. And before you start, I am not thinking of breaking off our courtship. I've been around your kind and your culture long enough to know that some of you males expect the worst when their woman wants a serious conversation… I will never understand some things. That aside, speaking of different cultures, that brings me to my point… You will die before I will. Long before. Oh, do stop twitching, my dear. I of course refer to my kind's exceedingly long life span. My father lived for more than a millennium before he was slain. He cheated death a couple of times but that only bought him a couple hundred years. I am still but a mere 5 year old if you were to give me a human age equivalent…" Her hand squeezed Shaggy's in a fidgeting manner, a somber smirk appearing as she thought of something. "Guess that makes you quite the cradle-robber with that analogy."

Shaggy momentarily pouted in annoyance as his girlfriend gave an empty chuckle at her own joke before frowning again. "There is, of course, one way I could keep you with me… but that would be fang-tastically selfish of me. I'm sure you can figure out what I mean…" she said before baring her fangs in a mock-threatening gesture. Shaggy gulped, but not out of fear for his life. He trusted Sibella a lot more than most other vampires. He gulped because, even with his simple, laid-back mind, he realized the implications of what it could mean for him. The thirst for blood, no longer able to eat anything with garlic in it, weakness to sunlight (which Sibella didn't have because of her Dracula lineage, but he doubted he himself would gain such immunity), and the high cost of nigh-immortality: the deaths of everyone he'd ever known as time rolled past the natural human lifespan. Very heavy stuff, man…

So he did the only thing he could do in the face of such a serious choice… "Like, why do I suddenly feel like I'm in a bad teen drama?" he said offhandedly. Sibella froze, as if struck dumb by such a nonchalant, aloof question. Of all the things he could respond to something she was morally struggling with… She still had her mouth open and fangs bared when he had asked that, so her being stunned left her looking somewhat comical. Luckily for her, it was just her and Shaggy in that hospital room.

Then, after a few moments, a soft little 'heh' as she finally shut her mouth. Then a snicker… Before she could contain herself, she burst out laughing. "Wow, Shaggy! That answer is so… It's so you!" was all she got out before more laughter overtook her. "Hey… Like, what's that supposed to mean?" Shaggy asked, unsure whether that was a compliment or if she was busting his chops. It took a few moments for her to calm down enough to talk again. "Oh, I haven't been brought out of a funk that quickly in a long time. And I should be bringing you out of a funk with that injured leg of yours. What kind of girlfriend am I, swooping down on you with this like the bat I am?" she said in a playfully scolding tone.

"A good one, I'd say. Like, you do have a point. That accident could have been… gulp… much worse than just a leg. Vampire powers do sound very handy. You were already thinking about that kinda situation anyway. Getting injured didn't help." Shaggy responded, not wanting her to put herself down.

"I thank you, Shaggy. This problem can indeed wait. Perhaps some time to mull it over, perhaps run it by the others after some time. You still have your entire life ahead of you, of course. I do not mind my royal consort remaining a human. In fact, that image does help with public relations. Oh bats, now I'm using human business terms. You're rubbing off on me too much." she again mock-chided, feeling like a weight has been taken off of her. In a way, he was right. Worrying about such a problem seemed like something foolish for the time being.

A year had gone by since their relationship started and the more things changed, the more they stayed the same. Fred and Daphne had married at some point, but the others didn't have to worry about any public displays of affection from them. At least, not as much as they saw from Shaggy and Sibella, the vampire queen having steadily grown more affectionate and seductive toward the brown-haired beatnik since his accidental leg injury. It wasn't blatant make-out sessions alone (although there were a decent number of those). A lot of the time, it would be the vampire groping him or saying some newly-learned human double-entendre to him just loud enough for the other four members of Mystery Inc to overhear.

It was like Sibella had decided to cut back on the formality and, as Fred had put it once, 'go blue-collar' (Sibella had no idea what that meant). Occasionally, it made it hard to live with the pair. Especially when it came to stopping at hotels… At some point between Shaggy completely recovering from the injury and the present time, apparently, one of the two had brought up the idea of sex. Everybody bet on Sibella being the one that brought it up. A lesson was learned by many, one hotel at a time… Sex with a vampire could get very loud.

It also made Shaggy's one-time job as teacher an off-limits subject to the rest of Mystery Inc, due to some of the things Sibella was heard screaming…. Somebody liked role-playing… It was strange to think about the idea of a controlling student when it came to sexual role-play scenarios, but Sibella played that role like it was going out of style, occasionally giving Shaggy a turn at being a 'strict' gym coach. The phrase 'giving her detention' would never be thought of the same way again by Mystery Inc.

But enough about that… It was evening, the cloudy skies of the dimming sky fitting perfectly with the mood of the occupants of the Mystery Machine, which had been forcibly stopped when somebody stood right in the road, as if expecting them. Fred had barely managed to get the van stopped without running the seemingly suicidal man over. Strangely enough, the man didn't even flinch.

They quickly learned that he had been waiting for them specifically due to a certain new member of the gang. "You in the van! Surrender the Vampire Queen or else I shall assume that you are under her control!" The man drew a giant spatula, edges sharpened to give the comical weapon some threat. The humans grew nervous. There was no way that they would give Sibella up. As nervous as he was, Shaggy was annoyed by the nerve of this guy.

Shaggy, hoping that the armed stranger could be reasoned with, opened his door and stepped out, to the surprise of everyone else. "Like, excuse me? Sir?" he asked timidly, cautiously approaching. The man lowered his oversized novelty weapon, willing to listen. He didn't think the skinny fellow posed any threat. "Umm… I dunno what you're problem is, but… Sibella isn't going to hurt anyone."

"What would you know, mortal?" he said, a distrustful tone to his voice.

"Well, like... uhh… I'm her boyfriend and…"

"You?! That must explain it… Do you know what you have done, mortal fool?!" He once again lifted his 'axe', pointing it toward Shaggy. In the van, Sibella glared toward the offending stranger. How dare he threaten her mate…

"Uhh… Nothing wrong?" Shaggy nervously guessed, not taking his eyes off of the deadly food utensil.

"Fool! There was a reason I had slain her vile father! The Dracula bloodline must be extinguished, lest the world fall again into peril! I had hoped that she would just hide away and die naturally, but no… Not only had she taken up the mantle of her father, but you're helping her create an heir!"

Shaggy disagreed with the man's assumption. So the foodie managed to get Sibella pregnant about a month ago… So what? Hadn't Sibella proved to those that know of the vampire race that she's changing things for the better? Perhaps there would always be one or two holdouts on the human side, just like Sibella occasionally dealt with a few vampires that preferred hunting over ideas like blood packs. Not to mention, this was apparently the same guy that killed her father…

"Like, I can't let you do that, man… I'm telling ya, she's a good person! I didn't exactly think much of her father either, but she's different! Haven't you noticed anything different? Like, not as many vampire attacks or something?" Shaggy asked, his hands raised in a 'Whoa, let's not get hasty now' kind of gesture.

The man paused. Even Shaggy could consider that an indicator that he had indeed heard something like that. "…Yes. They have decreased… I had thought that perhaps your little queen was plotting something, gathering her forces and lulling humanity into a false sense of security. So I tracked her down. She does have a certain aura about her. For those that can track such a thing, even one of merely average ability like myself, it doesn't make her easy to hide. Be that as it may, I still feel an obligation to my family, the Belmonts, to protect the world from that accursed bloodline. How do I know she hadn't brainwashed you into a pawn of hers?"

Shaggy gulped. Having learned of vampire culture from his mate, he had naturally heard of vampires having human minions, drawn to serve their masters. Was there a good way to defend against an accusation, though? Somebody had heard enough. "That is simple, warrior… He is no pawn of mine. At least, not one I had to exert control over. His will is his own, for he is my mate." Sibella interjected, stepping out of the van and walking over to Shaggy's side. Better to confront this warrior herself before things got out of hand.

"A human mate of his own will… Hard to believe, Dracula." the Belmont said, practically spitting the name out. He had a tight grip on his weapon. At this point, a couple of cars from the opposing traffic lane had passed by. The scene must've looked so strange to the passing drivers…

"Believe what you will, Sir Belmont. We are not here to fight. Merely to live. I do not seek domination and vengeance, like my father had on occasion. Your presence doesn't even anger me, knowing that you are my father's murderer. Your misguided mission is of an understandable concern, but you don't have to bother anymore, I swear it." Sibella spoke eloquently, even adding in a deep bow to honor the worthy former opponent.

"Now, my mate, let us depart before our vehicle becomes an obstacle for more traffic. I do know how you humans love to honk at people that just block their way." Sibella said with a giggle as she and Shaggy turned back to the iconic van.

Juese Belmont merely watched. He had not expected a Dracula to actually show any sign of respect like this one had. Perhaps she was telling the truth. If so, then the world could indeed rest easier. Was it really that simple? As the van drove past him, the queen of vampires giving a courtesy farewell wave of a hand (another gesture he hadn't expected), Juese began to feel... empty. Like his purpose had been taken away from him, only partially completed. But was that such a bad thing?

He could always chase after the strangely-painted van and finish what he had started…

No… That wouldn't do. He had sensed none of the hostility that had always came with Lord Dracula himself when he had fought him. Recalling the entire confrontation, he wondered if what he could sense was deviousness, deception, or some other minor form of evil. He couldn't exactly tell. He wasn't an expert at empathic powers. Merely average. His expertise lay in fighting. That and cooking…

Speaking of cooking, deciding to put the Dracula mission out of his mind for now, perhaps he could accomplish his other dream of opening a breakfast restaurant. He did so like pancakes… (1, again)

6 months later, Shaggy and Sibella were dropped off at their Coolsville apartment due to how rambunctious Shaggy's queen had become with her developing pregnancy. It wasn't anger-based mood swings or morning sickness that made it unbearable for the rest of the team to deal with. Although there was the very rare case of her raging out about something... But instead, she had seemed to become very sexual, bordering on nymphomania. One would think that it would be a guy's absolute dream, especially if a guy liked pregnant women. But it did have its downsides, other than her altered state putting a temporary halt to her responsibilities, leaving a couple of trusted allies to look after things.

For one, it made it near impossible for Shaggy to take her out anywhere until she gave birth. It was especially problematic when she wanted to go to her usual club to dance. Eventually, one day, he caved and took her dancing. As a result, the duo almost got banned when, after spending a half hour blatantly grinding on her mate, she tried taking his clothes off… on the dance floor in front of everyone.

His second problem was that there was apparently such a thing as being oversexed. He would never get bored of seeing her and being with her, but he had begun to feel completely drained after a month into their current stay in Coolsville (and he doesn't mean his blood). Sure, she didn't mind his exhausted nature while in the act, as she did most of the 'work' anyway with her alpha demeanor. But as she approached the approximate time of birth, she realized that she had worn out her poor loyal lover.

Her guilt in the final approximate month of pregnancy was his final downside. He himself didn't blame her at all. This was her first child, after all. And with her father being… well… her father, combined with her time away at Grimwood, there wasn't exactly a chance for a vampire version of the ol' birds and bees conversation. So neither had known fully what to expect. Sibella had to chuckle to herself when she pondered if her biological mother gave the king of all vampires himself sexual problems…. Even so, Shaggy had to repeat himself every time Sibella apologized for her wild behavior, her upper-crust side roaring back with a vengeance (combined with a mood swing shifting toward depressed). The moping and apologies continued for a few days, Shaggy unwavering in his steadfast support of her.

It took taking her out on a romantic date of dinner and a movie to cheer her up. If only the little one hadn't picked halfway through the movie to decide to want to come out a little early….

Shaggy never thought of what he would look like with Sibella's skin color. But when he looked at his firstborn son for the first time, cradled in a blanket in Sibella's arms, he got a glimpse of what that would be like. The doctors were baffled by the expectant mother's abnormalities (both parents-to-be were adamant about not divulging the truth of what she is, citing the urgency of giving birth to change the topic), but the delivery was successful. On a related note, the hospital staff was even more baffled as to why whatever the purple woman clenched on during the birth ended up crushed, even anything made of solid metal.

"Alright. Like, I just sent Velma a picture of him. He's so adorable." Shaggy said, a proud smile on his face. He hadn't felt so proud of anything he created since the last time he crafted a 3 foot tall sandwich that didn't fall over. Typical Shaggy train of thought. Sibella grinned, the happiest she'd ever been. "Indeed he is. I see a lot of you in him. But I think we both know what that means, my ever-hungry mate…" she trailed off, her smile turned into a mischievous smirk.

"Gulp… Like, we're gonna need a lot of baby food! Or do we need a boatload of blood?!" Shaggy realized, instantly wondering if anybody local was hiring. "And diapers! Good thing we thought ahead and got, like, a crib and a couple of toys and some onesies… Hmm…" he said, mentally thinking of what else the royal couple needed to get. Sibella lightly slapped him on the arm, knowing what was on his mind.

"How quickly you forget about my wealth, my love. Don't you worry about money. And don't you start about being a provider. You've done very admirable so far, helping me out with my duties, keeping me happy, and occasionally stopping some fake monster from committing crime. Relax for now. You can focus on being a father. I know you'll be a worthy one." she reassured him. She then held their son out to him. "Wanna hold him, 'Father'?"

Shaggy took him, again floored that he actually has a son, now that he's actually holding the little one in his arms. He was about to say something about it (again) when he noticed a familiar look on his mate's face. One of concentration combined with being lost in thought: a usual sign of mentally communicating with a fellow vampire, usually one of high rank or power. Considering the situation, the person she was 'talking' to must have initiated the contact. 'Duty calls…' he thought absently. And so he waited, taking the chance to take a good look at the dozing purple baby in his arms. Yup, she was right. A miniature purple Shaggy.

Now, what to name him…..?

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Holy crap, I think this is the longest one I've done. When I have an idea, I really try to roll with it sometimes… Ya know, to put out a complete story of it. I've read a few good fics, mostly happens with one-shots, where it ends in such a way where there could be (even SHOULD be) more to it but the author's like "Yeah, this is finished" anyway. I didn't want it to be that way. Anyways, how'd I do with this? Too out-there? Too sappy? Was anybody too OOC? I will edit if necessary. I know it took a while for me to hammer this one out, but I don't deliberately try to rush things… Rushing is never beneficial a lot of the time…

First of all, yes, I went with a big Castlevania tie-in as far as how Sibella ends up reuniting with Shaggy and the interpretation of Dracula's fate here. Speaking of tie-ins….

Reference Footnotes:

1: Those that are very familiar with the video game music rearrangement website, OverClocked Remix, or the 'cheap knockoff' site, OverLooked Remix, will probably know exactly what I'm talking about with Juese Belmont. If you are not familiar but do enjoy video games and video game music, I highly recommend you check out OCR and scope out their huge library of free, fan-made remixed game music. Great stuff on there. If you want a laugh, as far as this reference goes, check out the goofy parody song of a remix called "Juese Belmont" (I prefer the original OLR version, though) to understand the unofficial character I used here. Anyone for pancakes…..?

2: CM Punk anyone? Anyone….? Former WWE guy that quit the company and switched over to MMA where he has STILL yet to have his first official fight, but from what I've heard, they had a couple of fighters fight for the 'privilege' of being Punk's first opponent. Talk about getting paid to do nothing….

Secondly, I understand that people were probably expecting little Tanis to be up next, but I had this idea first and decided to roll with it. I was thinking that Sibella would have been the last chapter in a way of "Well, she's the head girl, right? So she's the Main Event, the last chapter of the series, right?". But I guess inspiration happens when it will…

As for Tanis, I'm liking some of the ideas I've seen in reviews of the Phantasma chapter, but if anyone has more ideas about the little mummy, feel free to put them out there! As well as what you think of this chapter, of course.

Random thought here, but I wonder if there can be more Ghoul School related fics on here. As I mentioned before (probably in my other Scooby fic), I know the Ghouls are obscure because they were from an old 80's Scooby movie, but still… Ah well. Just a thought.

Reader Reviewer Replies!

Sgt. M00re – Not sure if I can pull that idea of yours off successfully, but I do like it. I would like to see that idea written out somehow.

ThatGuy – Well, I apologize if ya didn't like how I did the Phantasma story. I believe I explained my story logic behind the idea of Velma/Shaggy/Phanty in my author's note at the end there. But I guess it goes to people's individual tastes. I'm glad you still like this series of fics so far. Hope you liked this Sibella story.

Everyone else – Thanks again for the compliments and Tanis ideas. It's appreciated.


	5. Tanis

Author's Note: To begin, I must apologize for my delay in posting this final official chapter of this anthology of Ghoul School one-shots. The fact that I had a hard time making this one-shot flow bothered me to no end, lemme tell ya. But after stepping back, focusing on a couple of other stories and real life stuff, and then getting back to it, I finally made it through the rain, as the saying goes! So here it is! The little mummy finally gets her turn at everyone's favorite coward. Enjoy, everybody!

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own anything.

Meet My Student: Tanis

"Jinkies, Fred… You sure the art thief went this way?" Velma asked, exhausted as she and the rest of Mystery Inc followed the blond leader. Following clues and trails was practically second nature by now for the group of five, having stopped many a costumed criminal. Today was turning out to be no different. Another night, another strange kook. This time, they had gotten a call from a museum that needed their expertise after their Egyptian exhibit had been robbed of a few items by what a couple of witnesses had described as a mummy. A fairly common costume to use, so Velma recalled.

"Yeah, Velma. Apparently, the sarcophagus that was stolen was dragged along. I'm kinda surprised the thief didn't have a getaway vehicle for such an item. See, look. Between the dirt path leaving a trail here and the small traces of material grinded off in the dragging process back in town, the thief wasn't exactly careful. But why drag it…?"

Velma nodded. "Agreed. The asphalt and concrete back there couldn't have been too kind to the bottom of that sarcophagus. It would decrease the value of it if there was significant damage. Perhaps this thief is desperate for money. Or perhaps merely simple-minded when it comes to such details. Strange…" As she pondered this, she couldn't help but wish that they would find something soon after all this walking. If they had known that the trail was this long, they would have taken the Mystery Machine… But apparently, this thief could drag something that weighty for quite a long distance, taking them out of town.

The gang's resident bottomless stomachs piped up. "Like, very bizarre, man. You couldn't get me to drag something this far in one go, that's for sure. I mean, like, look at me. Maybe this mummy monster's some sort of bodybuilder. Gulp… That's just as scary!" Shaggy griped, picturing himself getting punched in the face by some hulking brute wearing bandages.

"Reah… Rummy on reroids…" Scooby grumbled in agreement, head sulking as he followed his master. Shaggy chuckled at the great dane's statement, now trying to picture a mummy handling a needle of steroids and suddenly bulking up. "Like, he would need bigger bandages, Scoob!" he commented.

A minute later, the gang discovered that the indented trail of shoved aside dirt took a sharp turn…into the small forest. Specifically, the big growth of bushes and what seemed like fallen leafy branches. "Hmm… Perhaps the thief finally realized he was leaving a trail." Daphne thought aloud, a little annoyed. Nobody told her that she'd have to go into a thick forest today. She would have worn something that wouldn't get caught in branches or something. Shaggy started forward. "Well, like, maybe there's a forest path in—OOF!" he yelped, his body hitting something solid as he tried to walk through the bushes, his foot especially. Shaggy hopped up and down, clutching his stubbed foot and groaning in pain, much to Scooby's amusement.

"What the…?" Fred exclaimed aloud as he stepped forward to take a closer look at the thick brush. Reaching out and moving aside some of the foliage, he noticed something hidden within. Something big…. Something golden… "No way… Here it is!" Fred said as he noticed that the leafy branches were deliberately put over the sarcophagus in an attempt to hide it. He began tossing them aside as the rest of the gang came over.

"Why would somebody just take a sarcophagus just to leave it here?" Daphne asked aloud. This mystery was quickly becoming more and more unusual. Was this a trap? Did the thief have a vehicle stashed somewhere nearby and went to go get it? Did the sarcophagus have something inside it that the thief wanted, not caring about the Egyptian coffin itself? The redhead noticed that Velma was clearly trying to calculate a motive, judging from the familiar look of concentration on her face.

The men carefully carried the sarcophagus out into the open after clearing out all the branches and other loose greenery. It was a fairly small coffin, intricately designed with Egyptian hieroglyphics and designs depicting some of the Egyptian deities. "Well, that explains some of how it could've been dragged. It's a little one. Less weighty. Still, it took both of us to haul it out." Fred said, looking over the Egyptian casket as Shaggy, not being much of a strongman, slumped over the sarcophagus as he tried to catch his breath.

"Yeah, but it still doesn't explain why it's hidden out here like this." Daphne pointed out, passively poking the fallen Shaggy as he rested. As his head was on the material of the casket, the beatnik could almost swear he could hear something… Something coming from…. inside? Turning his head slightly, he pressed his ear right against it to listen. He grew nervous. Something was definitely inside this sarcophagus. There was a low noise, constant and repetitive… Growling? Or was that snoring? Or… he couldn't tell. The casket itself was muffling most of it. Either way, he gulped and pushed himself up.

"Like, guys…? We have a problem…." he said in a low voice, just above a whisper. "Like, I think there's something in here. I heard… something." He said, pointing at the sarcophagus with a nervous twitching.

"Rummy's still rin rere?" Scooby asked, nervously hiding behind Velma, who snapped out of her thinking process. "Jinkies, that might explain why it was abandoned here. If there is a living mummy or something in there, the thieves probably didn't want to stay and find out." The logical one of the group could no longer discount the possibility of an actual monster encounter, not after certain adventures and incidents that Mystery Inc had stumbled upon and dealt with in their career.

"Well… maybe we should take a look." Fred suggested. His curiosity was getting the better of him as he put his own ear against the casket. "Like, take a look? Are you kidding? What if there is a mummy trying to rest in peace and, like, doesn't like being rudely woken up? We could be killed! Or cursed, man!" he said frantically, careful not to be too loud. Fred straightened up and turned to Shaggy.

"Or maybe we found our thief. Maybe the best way to keep the stolen treasure safe is to be with it at all times. We open it and it's the guy that stole it, we pretty much have him cornered. We'll open it quietly, just in case that noise really is snoring. Imagine it, Shaggy. Catching a criminal while he's sleeping. Easiest case ever, right? No risk, no problem." he explained, calmly and collectively.

"Besides, the museum would be expecting the sarcophagus back anyway, so Fred's plan is as good as any. We just gotta keep quiet." Daphne said with a sigh. She did understand Shaggy's point. What if it was indeed a sleeping mummy? Or maybe a wild animal had found its way in there and any noise might piss it off. But there is the chance that some criminal would be dumb enough to think that he could just sleep inside it and get away with it later as long as it was hidden. This was the era of many an idiotic crime, after all… For one thing, the casket looked pretty small. Were they dealing with a teenager? A midget, maybe?

Velma knew where this was going, so she reached into a small pouch she had on her and withdrew a couple of Scooby Snacks. "You guys know how Fred is when he gets an idea. Will you help open the casket for a Scooby Snack?" she offered, a smile on her face as she saw the familiar, always amusing reactions of her foodie best friends.

"Alright, alright. Like, let's have 'em, Velma." Shaggy said, licking his lips in anticipation. Scooby made more of a show out of it by tying a bib around his neck, even though it was completely unnecessary for the little mouthful of homemade biscuit. The brainiac threw the little snacks at them, which the duo effortlessly caught with their mouths, an action they literally had years of practice. Almost immediately, their fears were abated, not completely annihilated as they never will be, but merely placed on the back burner, replaced by food-induced courage.

Carefully, Shaggy, Scooby, and Fred surrounded the ancient coffin, the girls looking on from behind them. Placing their hands under the lid, the trio looked to one another. "Alright, guys… On three, we slowly lift. Agreed?" Fred whispered.

"Like, is it one, two, lift or one, two, three, and then lift?" Shaggy asked, causing Fred to grumble to himself.

"Run… roo…. ree!" Scooby counted for the group. The trio carefully began pulling upward, unsure of how hard or easy the casket might be to open. The lid was surprisingly easy to open, time having been kinder to its functionality than some might think. Slowly, the lid was hefted off and gently placed on the ground. The sound from within was immediately more noticeable and easier to identify as snoring. The three casket-openers took a look at what was inside, the girls coming up from behind.

Inside was indeed a mummy, fast asleep without a care in the world. The fact that it was asleep was the only reason why Shaggy and Scooby's temporary courage hadn't fizzled out immediately. The mummy was clearly feminine, judging from the hint of curves, the bandage-made ponytail 'hairstyle' with a golden Egyptian ankh tied at the end of it, and the bandage skirt she wore around her waist. It was also clear that she wasn't very tall at all. To Shaggy and Scooby, now that they took a good look at her, something seemed oddly familiar about this mummy. But why…?

"Wow… An actual mummy…" Fred whispered in awe. It was rare that the group came across something supernatural that didn't immediately start getting dangerous on them. To see a mythological creature doing something as mundane as having a peaceful sleep… The blond didn't have long to ponder, however, as the night air seemed to get to the sarcophagus' occupant as she began to shiver and unconsciously reach up for the lid like a person in a bed might reach for a moved blanket. The trio pulled their heads back, thinking for a moment that she might be doing something retaliatory already. But they calmed down, watching as the raised hand continued to meet nothing but air, expecting the lid to be there.

Tanis' sleep was slowly disturbed by the chill of the night air. Consciousness began to come back to her as she found herself reaching up to make sure the sarcophagus' lid was firmly shut. But as she realized that the lid wasn't there, she suddenly became more alert. Opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was the night sky. Immediately, she sat up. "Wha?! Where's my—" her question to herself was cut off as she noticed that she was surrounded by people. "EEP!" she shrieked, panicking at the presence of strangers. Quickly fumbling around, she eventually found the ancient coffin's lid, somehow lassoed it with bandages from her wrists, and yanked it back over to her, shutting herself back in her coffin.

A muffled "Go away! Um, please…!" could be heard from inside. Throughout all this, the five merely stood and watched. They just saw a teenage mummy freak out over intruders… Again, Shaggy and Scooby's minds began bugging them about how familiar she seemed. Did they meet this mummy somewhere before.

As if driven by this strange sense of familiarity, Shaggy gently knocked on the sarcophagus. "Umm… Miss? Like, sorry we woke you up… Umm… We were looking for this sarcophagus, actually. The museum back in town hired us, like, because somebody took it from there and… umm…" Shaggy trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

"And you are… looking for thieves… yes?" the mummy concluded, her voice still muffled by the closed casket.

"That's right. Were you, like, sleeping in there this whole time?" Shaggy asked.

"No… Just for a few hours, I think… It's still night time… And you don't have to look for thieves… This is my sarcophagus… I've been looking for it for months and I just found it again… Please don't hurt me." The mummy said, beginning to sound scared at the prospect of humans making sure they get to keep what they stole…

"Wait… Like, whaddya mean 'just found it again'? Ya mean ya weren't, like, sleeping for years?" Shaggy asked.

"Reah. Rong sleep. Dirt rap. Rix reet under. Rest… in… reace!" Scooby hammed it up by listing off slang for being dead.

"Like, Scoob, cut it out, man." Shaggy scolded lightly.

"Rorry, Raggy." The dog apologized, followed by his trademark snicker.

The mummy then spoke. "You two sound… very familiar… Could you be…?" she trailed off.

"Familiar? Us? Heh, like, it's funny you say that, because when we got a look at you, I kinda think you looked familiar too. Not sure from where, though." Shaggy answered, causing the other three humans to look at Shaggy questioningly.

"Wait, you've met a talkative, nervous mummy before, Shaggy?" Daphne asked. Suddenly, the lid of the sarcophagus was thrown straight upward, landing harmlessly a short distance away. The mummy sat straight up and looked in Shaggy and Scooby's direction. Her eyes went wide with surprise and recognition before she then lunged at Shaggy, wrapping him up in a full-body hug.

"COACH SHAGGY! Thank Ra it's you! I've been so lost in this world and I just found my sarcophagus after so long and police are probably looking for me and I don't know where I am and I don't know how I'm going to carry my sarcophagus home and… and…!" With that, she broke down and cried as Shaggy, surprised and unsure of what to do, slowly returned the hug. Shaggy responded to the others' expressions with a shrug and a shake of the head, silently saying 'Hey, I'm not sure yet either'.

A couple minutes later, the mummy girl managed to calm down. Despite the style change, Shaggy and Scooby had managed to remember her upon her referring to Shaggy as Coach. They both mentally kicked themselves for not recognizing sweet little timid Tanis from good ol' Grimwood School. To be fair, she did have a bit of a growth spurt since they last saw her (although she was still fairly short at 4 feet, 3 inches) and she did change up her look. A sign of her growth seemed to be that some of her bandages didn't cover all of her anymore, ending up with spots of grey skin showing here and there. Was she doing her own bandage work these days? Eventually, she was calm enough to finally release her tight cling of a hug.

"Like, hi, Tanis." Shaggy greeted.

"Hi, Coach Shaggy… Um…" And here she thought she was doing better about her introverted tendencies… but here she was, ready to clam up and go hide again. But no, she couldn't do that. Not in front of her favorite human that she looked up to ever since his gym coach days. "Um, that was a way to run into each other again, huh…?" she asked as an ice-breaker, a nervous quiver in her voice.

"Yeah, I guess so. Heheh… So, that's your casket, huh? That looks really nice." Shaggy replied, keeping things friendly. Remembering how she was, he figured it'd be best to ease the shy almost-adult into conversation.

"Yeah… Daddy and Mummy made it for me after I learned to walk. It felt so big and roomy then, but we mummies grow into our blessed sarcophagi. I was born undersized, so… yeah, my sarcophagus is smaller than others… You remember how small I was back then, Coach…" Tanis timidly finished.

"Ahem, pardon my interruption, Miss… Tanis, was it? But I think your 'Coach' has some explaining to do." Daphne pointed out with a smirk on her face. She knew that this had to be a good story and, as someone who attempted to do the journalism gig a couple of times, she did love good stories.

"Ehehehe… Like, yeah, Daph's right… I should at least introduce you to my friends before they feel more like third wheels." Shaggy said, standing back up. "Tanis, I'd like you to meet Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Fred Jones. Like, it's ok to be shy, but don't worry. They're good people."

Tanis stared for half a minute, taking in the appearance of the three new humans while battling her own nerves. Finally… "Hello…" she spoke softly, a meek smile gracing her bandaged face.

"Hi there." Velma answered, reaching her hand out for a handshake. Tanis tilted her head slightly at the gesture before realizing what the brunette wanted and gently grabbed her hand.

"While I'm just as curious as Daphne is about how you know this girl, Shaggy, you think we should all get going and find somewhere warm to crash for the night?" Fred asked.

"Ah, yeah. Like, good point. I'll head back and get the Mystery Machine." Shaggy offered but Fred shook his head.

"Nah, Daph and I'll go get it. You keep her company, since she knows you, alright?" Fred countered.

"Right." Shaggy grinned.

Around 45 minutes had passed before the Mystery Machine finally pulled up, Tanis marveling at the design of it. The little group had been discussing little things when it arrived. Fred got out of the van and opened the back doors. "Alright, gang. Let's load up and roll out."

"Like, where, Fred? The museum? I dunno about you, but I don't think Tanis wants to give up her sarcophagus. Sounds to me like explorers stole it from her first." Shaggy pointed out, causing Tanis to instinctively cling to her resting place as her nervous demeanor got the better of her.

"We won't give it up, Shaggy. But they will be expecting something. We'll figure it out in the morning. But it's getting late and we'd like an explanation sometime. 'Coach'." Fred retorted as he walked over to the coffin. As a group, Mystery Inc carefully loaded the sarcophagus into the van, with Tanis awkwardly supervising, needlessly worrying that they might crack it or something. Afterward, they started the drive back to town.

"Ok, story time, Shaggy. How on Earth did you meet a mummy without running away?" Daphne asked, barely keeping herself from giggling as she watched the timid little late-teenager cling to Shaggy like he was a teddy bear or something similar.

"Alright, like, during that time where Scoob and I took Scrappy and went out on our own, we had a few… adventures out there. Guess I turned out to be the magnet for trouble, eh? Well… One time, we were runnin' low on cash so we figured it was time to get a job somewhere. Better than us not having food, like, right? So we noticed there was a job opening for a gym teacher at an all-girls school and we figured…. What? Like, what's wrong?" Shaggy stopped his story after noticing Daphne having an unamused look on her face.

"Why would you think it was acceptable for a guy to teach at an all-GIRLS school? Weren't they worried about the potential of sexual predators or something?" Daphne asked.

"Uhh…. Well… They hired me, didn't they?" Shaggy countered lamely, completely unsure why the redhead was being this way.

"Reah. Ro roblems." Scooby seconded.

Daphne then smiled. "True point. And I was just pickin' on you, Shag. Of course, this took place before everybody seemed to get all up in arms over political correctness and who can be allowed in where and what-not." Daphne chuckled.

"That's another problem for another time, Daph. Please continue, Shaggy." Velma stepped in, nonplussed by Daphne's societal jab.

"Uh, alright, so we decided to take the job. I mean, we do keep in shape and we run a lot so we thought we could do the gym thing, easy." Shaggy continued. Tanis' giggling interrupted him this time.

"That was why you became our teacher? Oh my… You're not much of a long-term planner, are you?" Tanis was once again amused by the antics of her favorite human. To think that she had met him just because he figured the job went along with his natural abilities. Looking back, it was hard to pin him as a man who wanted to actually make a career out of teaching… On the other hand, his tendency to be scared of a lot of things around Grimwood's might have helped.

"Like, guess not. Especially since I didn't even do any research on the place beforehand. I thought the 'Ghouls' thing was a typo. Boy, was I ever wrong!" Shaggy chuckled as he remembered the first time his van came up to the front gate and noticed the sign that proclaimed what the place was.

"It was a school for monster girls?" Velma asked. "Guess you got to use your running skills after all."

"Like, ha-ha, Velma… Yeah, when I discovered the truth behind everything, well… uh… I'd rather not talk about it…" he trailed off.

"I know how you feel, Coach… It's not pleasant to admit to embarrassing things…" Tanis said, slightly tightening her grip on him as her way of showing support for what she perceived as his own timidity. "Don't worry. I won't say that you ran all over the school when you met us, one by one, screaming all the way…"

"Like, you just said it!" Shaggy yelped as Fred, Daphne, and Velma snickered, each of them trying to mentally picture the situation. Tanis, however, realized her mistake and had a look of horror upon her wrapped face.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry, Coach Shaggy! Please forgive me! I didn't mean to say that out loud…" The poor Egyptian looked like she was going to cry at any second. Startled by this, Shaggy immediately calmed down and put an arm around her to console her.

"Tanis, it's ok. Like, I'm not mad. Just… shocked, that's all. Things happen and, like, I'm kinda used to being the team goofball anyway." Shaggy said, gently patting her on the back in a 'there there' gesture.

"Team goofball…? You mean, you're always so funny?" Tanis asked in a hopeful manner. She didn't want to have her favorite coach talk down about himself. Not after he was such an inspiration to her and the rest of her classmates.

"Maybe if ya, like, mean that I always end up in some sort of problem. Heh… But I try not to get too down about my luck, man. I got great friends, a good life on the road, chances to have plenty of good food, and we're known in some areas as heroes, so if people find me falling down or something to be funny, then have a laugh, man. Just don't try and kill me… Like, I'm scared of that!" Shaggy chuckled.

"Wow… Rat's reep, Raggy." Scooby said.

"Huh… That's amazing, Coach Shaggy!" Tanis praised, impressed by her teacher's supposed wisdom. "You do know how to live. I wish I could say the same…" she then admitted, suddenly finding the floor of the van interesting.

"You mean… because you're undead?" Velma pondered.

Tanis sighed. "No… I didn't mean that literally. It's…. well… I've always been the shy one of the class. Then again, with how tiny I was, it's easy for people to just trip over me or run me over or something, so… I was nervous of getting in everybody's way… And of new people…. And of talking to people… Sometimes, of even just seeing people… It was half the reason I was sent to Ms. Grimwood's to begin with, so I could try to learn how to be social and meet new people. I'm definitely glad I went, of course. I did make a few friends there. Great friends. And I met Coach Shaggy and his funny dogs…"

"Rogs? Where?" Scooby asked, looking around.

"But even after I graduated, I'm still kinda… awkward. I mean, the only reason I've been traveling was because somebody stole my sarcophagus and I needed to track it down. I mean, how would you feel if somebody stole your bed and you really liked that bed? You'd try to look for it too, right? So… yeah… I left my tomb and went from town to town… Fortunately, I'd found some human things left behind by those that stole my sarcophagus. They had hieroglyphics on them, just like in my tomb. Although, I think you humans call those kind of hieroglyphics 'company logos' or something… So I took a piece with me and asked around about the logo…"

"On your own? What about your family?" Velma asked, growing concerned about a teenage girl wandering all by herself, even if she was an undead species that could probably take care of herself in dangerous situations.

"They were on vacation… Mummy said that she wanted to reenact hers and Daddy's honeymoon, sailing in the Dead Sea… I was supposed to watch the tomb and make sure nothing happened… It's rather fortunate that those thieves only took mine and not theirs too. Otherwise, I don't know how I'd be able to take all three all the way back to my pyramid… I'm only one mummy…"

"Like, zoinks! So how'd you find it anyway?" Shaggy asked.

"It was hard… Can you imagine how I felt when I was trying to build up the courage to ask a stranger something and then they just run away because of what I am? I… I had to pin some people down with my bandages… I felt so guilty after that… I didn't harm them, but they wouldn't believe me when I said I wouldn't hurt them… I'm not like some of those other mummies that curse mortals on sight…" Tanis pouted. Shaggy rubbed her back in a reassuring manner. Tanis slowly began to feel secure enough to release her clingy grip on Shaggy and have her own personal space back.

"But I eventually got my info on what group they are and where they are… So I went… It took time and effort but I found their hideout. I didn't mean to do it, but… I had to pretend like I was a mad mummy, out to curse… Good thing Daddy once taught me a few phrases that would be believable to mortals in case I ran into bad people but wouldn't do anything. At least, I hope they didn't do anything… Daddy was known to be a mischievous one… Oh my… But one of them gave up and told me where my sarcophagus was going. So, I snuck on an airplane…. and then another one after landing on the wrong side of America… and then another, after learning that planes are scheduled to go to specific places… and then a bus, full of people… I was so nervous… I was so far away from anybody I knew. I wasn't even near Ms. Grimwood's… But I made it! To that town, to that museum… And then, I… um…" she trailed off.

"You found a way to break in and steal your sarcophagus back." Velma finished for her.

Tanis nodded rapidly. "It was mine first…" she muttered quietly. Shaggy and Scooby both found the way she responded to be quite adorable, reminded of the tiny mummy that she previously was. She continued on. "Even through all that, I… don't think I'm much braver than I was before. Instead, I feel like I need to go on a vacation. Somewhere far away with no people… Or at least with just my friends. Sometimes, it feels like my bandages could come undone any minute."

Velma felt sorry for the little one. "Sounds like you're pretty stressed out. We'll help you get back home. Just leave things to us while you relax, ok?"

"Well… I guess that's ok. If you're friends of Coach Shaggy, then I should be fine here. So, um… where were we before? Oh, yes. Coach Shaggy arriving at our school. Um… Let's just say it was very clear that he misunderstood what kind of school this was. But once he calmed down and got used to things, he took to the job the best he could. Got us all moving around and keeping in shape in various different ways… I still remember that one time where…. Eep!" she suddenly cut herself off, a couple of bandages wrapping around her mouth to help her prevent what was about to be said. She didn't want to embarrass Shaggy any more than she already did. Still, it was funny how Shaggy and Scooby were in tutus that one particular gym class…

"You ok, Tanis?" Shaggy asked, concerned at her sudden behavior. She nodded as the excess bandages removed themselves from the lower half of her head.

"Yes, I'm fine. I was about to say another embarrassing memory of you and I didn't want to annoy you again… Um, moving on. I will say that, as he got used to us, Coach Shaggy actually treated us like fellow people instead of things to be afraid of. I admired that about him… I wish I could be like that with new people, just go up and try to make a friend without any worry or fear… Oh, here I am, talking in circles now. Coach Shaggy and Scooby were pretty silly as well, us girls getting a few good laughs from their mannerisms, especially with food. I've never seen anybody take to food the way they do. Um… How are you two still so thin?" she curiously asked, giving his stomach a tentative yet playful poke.

"Re runno." Scooby answered with a shrug as he took a bite out of a sandwich he procured from… somewhere.

"I'd guess, like, extremely high metabolism. All I know is that I really like food and I don't gain much weight. Like, pretty lucky, huh?" Shaggy chuckled. He wasn't one to question the quirks of the world he lived in, especially if it was one where he ended up benefitting from. Mostly because he was too laid-back to ponder why exactly it was he could eat as much as he does without consequence. Unless, of course, he was 'laid-back' (hint hint), but that was another story.

"Ah. Anyway, Shaggy even helped us get confident enough to participate in our school's annual volleyball competition against our rival school, an all-boys military school. We did not get along with those boys whatsoever… They'd keep picking on us throughout our time there, just because they're human and we're not… But with Shaggy's odd training and his inspiration, we managed to win that game. Good memories…" Tanis finished with a smile on her face. She deliberately left out any mention of a certain evil witch that had tried to brainwash her and her friends. No need to worry Shaggy's friends about any danger that he was in, even if that was well into the past now.

"Like, yeah, you girls were wonderful and I did end up having some fun over there. But… what happened after I left? Because… well…." Shaggy trailed off, remembering how he and Scooby ran out of there upon seeing the scarier new monsters that were to attend the next semester.

"Ah, yes, the next class of freshwomen… Ummm…. Things didn't go so well… You were right to run away, Shaggy. And no, I'm not saying that to embarrass you again. They were… scary…" Tanis got quiet as she remembered the disastrous class that she and her classmates shared the building with for a time.

Shaggy gulped. "How bad?"

"The alien girl seemed nice enough at first… Until she was found trying to alter our genetics to create more of her kind… It was fortunate that Elsa was the first one that alien tried to alter, as her artificial body was sorta immune to such attempts. Anything altered, she would just replace, as she is the Daughter of Frankenstein. All she needed was for her father to send a replacement part and it was like the alien didn't do anything. Ms. Grimwood expelled that alien after the third attempt, when she tried going after Sibella instead."

"New girl having a tough time fitting in is one thing. New girl making everyone else fit in to her way? That's a bit much." Fred said as the town came into visual range.

"Yeah… The lizard girl kept gnawing at everything. I had to get new bandages five times before she was finally dealt with and those aren't easy to come by. Winnie was sore for a while about her favorite bones having been chewed on by somebody that wasn't her." Tanis explained, recalling how the werewolf sanitized and even polished her favorite chewing bones.

"Oh boy… So, what happened to everyone anyway?" Shaggy asked, his curiosity getting to him.

"Well… Sibella ended up sticking around the school to become a teacher there. With Ms. Grimwood getting on in years, it was time for her to train a replacement. With her friendly nature, she'll sure be a wonderful teacher for the next generation of ghouls." Tanis beamed.

"A vampire heading a ghoul school. Like, sounds fitting." Shaggy observed.

"As for Winnie, she ended up finding a use for those pesky Calloway Cadets that bothered us so much… I would never have done such a thing, but I guess they do deserve it. Um… She ended up biting all of them…" Tanis said with a bit of hesitation.

"Biting them? What's wrong with that?" Daphne asked.

"Like, Winnie's a werewolf. You get bit by one, you turn into one." Shaggy explained.

"She then wasted no time in becoming the Alpha Female of her new pack. On the bright side, umm… I hear that she's gotten plenty of 'practice' with them for when she wants to have some cubs…" Tanis said with a red face.

"So they bullied you guys and end up getting laid in the end? Despite the werewolf curse, I don't think that's exactly much of a punishment." Fred commented. Naturally, Daphne rolled her eyes, muttering something about how guys find any predicament pleasant as long as sex is involved.

Tanis went on. "Phantasma tried to take her musical talents on the road, but even in the monster community, she wasn't well received. Most likely due to her tendency to sing way off-key. That's what happens when a ghost is born part-banshee, or so she says… Fortunately, she caught the attention of a guy who said he was a manager and claimed to see a lot of potential in her. Um… Unfortunately… well… He wasn't lying about his job or him wanting to make her famous, but… did you know that ghosts are popular for making monster porn because they're immune to all STDs? Zombies too, but that's only if you get ones that aren't too rotted out and, even rarer, still sentient…" She sounded a little embarrassed upon delving into the concept of adult films.

"Wait, so Phanty's a porn star? Didn't expect that one…" Shaggy replied, trying to picture the loony ghost swinging on a pole.

"Ghost porn? If she's transparent, you can totally see the 'ins and outs' of the action." Fred joked, chuckling to himself. The van was silent, save for the engine. Everybody looked at the driver like he had just farted. Even Tanis had to cast a wary glance at the blond man for his particular brand of humor. "C'mon, guys. Ins and outs? Get it…?" Still nothing, except for a cough from Scooby. "Jeez, tough van…"

"Anyways, Coach Shaggy, I wouldn't say that Phanty's a star just yet, but she's relatively successful so far and she seems to really like all her co-stars. Well, mainly the guys… If you get my meaning…" The mummy's face went red again. She recalled the latest letter she got from her ghostly friend, depicting how she somehow managed to talk several of her male co-stars into a harem relationship outside of work.

"At least she has that hyperactive energy of hers to keep up with all of that, I guess." Shaggy said, trying to accept that one of his students turned out to be a nymphomaniac who loved the camera. As long as she was safe, he'd be ok with it.

"Elsa decided to follow in her father's footsteps and has been in the process of building her own dream guy. The Groom of Frankenteen, as she dubbed it. I sometimes worry that she spends more time on that project than on anything else, but at least she seems fine. I probably would've went to her place for a visit if it wasn't for my sarcophagus having been stolen…"

"Like, I hope she doesn't go too overboard with her creation. Hey Scoob, how much do ya bet that Elsa creates some sort of too-perfect hunk?" Shaggy asked. The dog snickered.

"I bet one rextra rarge rizza!" Scooby replied, causing both of them to laugh. Tanis giggled. Her coach did have a point.

It wasn't much longer before the Mystery Machine parked in a hotel parking lot. To avoid the possibility of curious questions from people, Tanis' sarcophagus would remain in the van, as it was one of the windowless ones that could generally hide whatever's inside from view. But as that was the case, Tanis herself also had to stay behind, as she didn't want to be too far from it just after she found it. Feeling bad about the timid mummy being left alone, Shaggy volunteered to stay with her and sleep in the van's long backseat. Naturally, Scooby chose to stay too.

A part of Tanis was elated that Shaggy wanted to stay with her. Even if it was just her sleeping in her sarcophagus and Shaggy sleeping just a few feet away outside of it, the mummy couldn't help recalling some of the few dreams that made her red in the face. Dreams involving her and Shaggy… alone. Shaking her head quickly as Shaggy pulled out a spare blanket from a sack that was underneath the seat, she climbed into her ancient coffin. She was lucky that Shaggy and Scooby didn't notice her zoning out. It would've been so awkward…

"Good night, Shaggy. And thank you again." Tanis said with a grateful smile on her face. To Shaggy, it was strange to see a mummy sitting up in her sarcophagus and thanking him, but he was nonetheless glad that things worked out this way.

"Good night, Tanis. Like, ya need help closing that?" he asked, looking at the lid of the sarcophagus that was leaning against the rest of it on its side.

"I can do it… but… I guess it wouldn't hurt to accept your offer. It'll remind me of when my mummy used to, as humans say, tuck me in at night…" Tanis giggled shyly as she laid down. Shaggy made his way over and grabbed the lid. It was heavier than it looked and made Shaggy wonder how Tanis could lift it with just her bandages like she did when she panicked before, but he managed to get it up and over the top. It was now on the sarcophagus but at an angle, leaving some space open as Shaggy panted from the effort.

"Umm… Are you ok, Coach Shaggy?" Tanis asked, concerned.

"Like, yeah, I'll be fine… That thing's a little heavy, though. How'd you lift it back there?" Shaggy asked through his labored breathing.

"Ah, well… I can control some of my bandages with my mind… Very useful for reaching things or other uses. And the kind of bandages I've been getting lately are… I believe the human term is 'industrial strength'. So they won't break easily if I grab onto something heavy." Tanis answered, lifting a hand up and letting a length of bandage unravel and reach up, gently touching Shaggy's face as a demonstration of her bandage telekinesis.

"That's impressive, Tanis." Shaggy said in awe. "And your bandages are soft too. Your kind certainly knows what they're doing these days."

Tanis blushed again. "…Thanks, Shaggy… Um… You sure you two want to sleep in the van with me? I bet you two would be comfortable in an actual bed…" she asked, feeling a little guilty.

"Nah, it's ok. Like, it's not the first time we've had to sleep in here with all the traveling we do. Besides, we wouldn't want you to feel lonely again." Shaggy answered with a smile. Tanis giggled, using the bandage she had extended to pat Shaggy on the cheek before reeling it back in. With that, Shaggy and Scooby bid the mummy a good night before Shaggy fully closed the sarcophagus by straightening out the lid over the opening. Scooby laid down on the floor after circling around a spot at the back of the van while Shaggy climbed onto the back seat and laid down, blanket and all.

-Morning, 7:18 am-

Shaggy's dreams, which usually involved food, were slowly interrupted when he began to think that he could hear Scooby calling for him, despite his best friend not being in this particular dream. As consciousness came for him, his brain passively realized that he felt quite warm. Warmer than his blanket usually made him… Then, he realized much faster that he felt very snug in his blanket. In fact, he couldn't move much at all. He could squirm, though. Opening his eyes, he took a look around and saw that numerous white bandages had wrapped around him, with trails leading up and over the backseat, back to a certain sarcophagus. Scooby was indeed calling for him, having noticed the situation soon after waking up. With a little effort, Shaggy sat up, his mouth nudging out a strap of bandage that had somehow gotten in there.

"Like, what's going on?! Tanis?! What are you doing?" Shaggy called over, noticing that the lid was askew again.

"Something like sleepralking, Raggy." Scooby guessed, looking inside the ancient coffin.

"Sleepwalking? Why didn't she do this when we discovered her?" Shaggy asked, more to himself than to Scooby. In any case, he had to do something to get himself out of his predicament. Before he could try moving around, the lengths of bandages rose up, picking him up in the air.

"Zoinks! She wasn't kidding about being able to move stuff like this!" he griped as his body was being pulled toward the sarcophagus. Another length shoved the lid completely off, the thud of the coffin top doing nothing to awaken the mummy within. Moments later, Shaggy was held up over the sarcophagus, face down. Tanis was still sleeping peacefully, the lengths of bandages having been unraveled from her arms and legs. He noticed the bare dark-gray skin underneath. Oddly enough, she didn't look as decomposed as he thought. Well, her limbs didn't, anyway… Then again, it might have had something to do with how she was a lot more intellectually sentient than what people know of most mummies.

As the bandages slowly lowered him, he noticed that she was mumbling in her sleep. He couldn't tell what exactly she was saying, but he could tell that whatever her dream was about must have been something positive. But a certain problem presented itself: The fact that he was noticeably taller than the casket. If the bandages wanted to pull him in by folding him up somehow, he probably wouldn't fit without squishing little Tanis, even though he was skinnier than plenty of people. He had to do something.

"Like, Tanis? Taaaanis… Time to wake up. It's morning already!" Shaggy gently prodded. Tanis smiled, muttering more.

"Mmm… Five more minutes, my Pharaoh…" Tanis muttered quietly and happily, clearly still in dream land.

"Pharaoh? Like, I'm no King Tut, Tanis… Seriously, it's time to wake up. Like, uhhh…. Breakfast! We're just about to get some food. Whaddya say?" Shaggy asked, hopefully. If food could snap him out of sleep, maybe it could work for somebody else? Unfortunately, it only caused Tanis to turn over in her sleep, still mumbling to whoever her dream pharaoh was. He was getting dangerously close to the sarcophagus and the bandages were already forcing his knees to bend and his legs to fold up so that his knees were up near his stomach. This was definitely going to be uncomfortable…

"Gulp… Like, Tanis, HELP!" Shaggy yelped loudly. This finally did the trick as her eyes immediately opened in panic. Her fright about hearing her favorite coach in trouble intensified when she noticed him hovering above her and tied up in her own bandages, looking nervous. To her, now the situation had gotten quite embarrassing.

"OH MY RA, I am so sorry, Coach Shaggy! I truly am!" Tanis frantically stammered as she gently lowered him to the ground and tried to untie him, her bandages having apparently criss-crossed in so many ways. "I don't know why this happened. This hasn't happened for a couple of years now. I thought I had complete control of my bandage-kenesis. I must look like such a fool now. Oh, why can't I get these off of you? Huh? How did my bandages do THIS? Oh, no… I'm stuck now!" Her panic grew worse as she kept rattling apologies until she discovered that she had managed to tie her lengths of bandages in a jumbled knot, a bunch of them still wrapped around Shaggy. The duo was, in essence, tied together. Tanis felt like crying…

And so, she did. Fretting in his own right, Shaggy immediately pulled her into a hug, letting her cry it out while saying soothing nothings to her. A part of him mused how this was quite a way to start the morning. Scooby tried to help by giving Tanis a few sympathetic pats on her back. After a little while, she calmed down enough to stop crying.

"Like, I'm not mad about this, Tanis. You're ok." Shaggy reassured with a smile as he gently placed a hand on her head for a friendly pat. Tanis looked up at him for a moment before showing a sad smile of her own.

"…Thank you, Coach Shaggy… Um… So, how do we fix this…?" Tanis asked, again using her control over her own wrappings to try and undo her own work, only to again find that the lengths of cloth wouldn't loosen the knot she had mistakenly made in her haste. Shaggy thought about the problem as she concentrated, her arms and hands outstretched like a mage in medieval-fantasy stories casting a spell.

"Well, I know one quick solution, but you probably won't like it…" Shaggy trailed off.

"…I know. Cut my bandages…" Tanis pouted, her arms drooping after another failed attempt. "But I don't want to… These aren't exactly easy to come by…"

Shaggy sighed lightly. "Like, I figured as much. Well… At least my arms and legs are free, so until we figure this out, we're gonna be pretty close for a while. Is that okay?" he asked, looking down at her. He wasn't sure if it was something he said, but he noticed the few places of visible skin on her face turn a bright red as she simply stared up at him.

But the inside of Tanis' head was anything but quiet… 'Me and Coach Shaggy? Pretty close? Together…? Ah, bad mind! Dirty thoughts, dirty thoughts! No! Not the time… It's too sudden. Way too sudden! Just play it cool, ghoul… Friendship first…. Ah, he's looking concerned again. Oh Ra, I'm not saying or doing anything! SAY SOMETHING!'

"YES! Um… I mean, yes, Coach Shaggy. It's fine." Tanis finally replied, her face still fairly red as she looked down, burying her face in his chest from embarrassment.

Karma must have been in a foul mood toward mummies this day, for it was that moment when the doors to the Mystery Machine opened to reveal Fred, Daphne, and Velma. The three were surprised to see their new companion all cuddled up on Shaggy's lap like that. Naturally, it didn't stop them from playfully commenting on it and, when they noticed it a minute later, joking about their little bandage problem.

Needless to say, Tanis refused to move from her spot for a few hours, her sheer embarrassment being driven to a new high. And then there was another hour of feeling embarrassed added when Daphne joked at one point that, due to their height difference and the way Tanis was clinging to him, it looked like Shaggy was wearing around one of those baby-carrying slings that people can wear on their chest.

It turned out that Daphne's little baby-carrying sling joke proved to be useful for going out in public. Tanis would cling to Shaggy while somehow wearing a large baggy hoodie jacket to hide her and their unwanted mass of tangled bandages, making Shaggy sort of look like he was carrying a baby in one of those slings. It wasn't the best way to disguise a mummy that was tied to a human, but it'd be enough to divert most prying eyes as Shaggy walked by them. As embarrassing as it seemed at first, Tanis quickly figured out the bright side of being so close to her favorite human for so long. And so, that factor was quickly proven a success as Mystery Inc reported to the museum with the fabricated excuse that they had only found bits and pieces of the "destroyed" sarcophagus. Velma was quite good at playing the role of the offended intellectual, lamenting the mindless destruction of a piece of history (as well as the alleged "mother" of Shaggy's "child", when the curator asked about the "baby sling").

Afterwards, they were on the road again. Shaggy and Tanis were managing to get her oversized jacket off, the strands of bandages making a simple process slightly difficult.

"We're really going to have to do something about this, guys. I'm not sure how far we can keep that disguise going in public. Good idea on paper, though." Daphne pointed out.

"Yeah. Although, I certainly didn't mind playing the role of the mother of Shaggy's child." Velma teasingly commented, snickering to herself. This caused Shaggy to look at Velma with a raised eyebrow and slightly crimson cheeks. This didn't go unnoticed to Tanis, though.

'Does she like Coach Shaggy too…?' Tanis timidly thought, already growing nervous at the prospect of having to compete with another girl for her crush's affections. Her mind was already comparing her own petite body with what the brunette glasses-clad nerd might be hiding under that baggy orange sweater of hers… Opting not to voice anything about it yet, she fidgeted with trying yet again to untie her knot of bandages.

"Why don't we just buy some more bandages for now? I'm sure it'll do until we can get her back home." Fred wondered. Tanis frowned as her latest attempt to force the giant knot of wrappings loose failed. "Those are medical bandages for humans, Fred. Not meant for mummies… They don't last as long and are kinda constricting. Also, I won't be able to control them, which I guess would prevent any future incidents…" A sigh. "…I suppose those will have to do." She admitted, her head hanging. Shaggy gave her a few pats on the back.

"Like, it'll be ok, Tanis. Maybe your parents have some backup bandages in your home." Shaggy said, causing her to turn her head toward him and grace him with a sad smile.

"Maybe… Um… You'll help wrap me up, right…?" she meekly asked, a hint of a blush visible on her face. It was pretty much the mummy equivalent of asking someone to dress her, with all the awkwardness that would entail from it. But at the same time, Tanis felt a tiny thrill at the prospect of her favorite human doing something as personal (to a mummy) as wrapping her limbs.

"Me? Uhh… Like, sure, Tanis. But I thought you would've wanted Daphne or Velma to help ya out with that." Shaggy replied, thinking that dressing her up would be another one of those 'girls only' personal things that they'd rather not have guys peeping at. Tanis' thrill grew as he accepted, at least until her normally-dormant libido turned her thoughts into Shaggy unwrapping her in a bed… Then she blushed again. Shaggy saw the hint of red and thought she would agree with his point and change her plans...

"Um, well… I guess one could see it that way. But I trust you, Coach Shaggy. Very much. And it would at least get us to do something together while we're traveling." Tanis pointed out. Shaggy nodded along. Why not count it as an activity they can do together?

And so, after a quick stop at a pharmacy and dodging questions from the cashier about why Fred needed so many bandages (due to so many stories about 'botched D.I.Y. injury care'), Shaggy and Tanis set out to fix her look. A few tragic snips of scissors later and Tanis and Shaggy were free of the jumble of wrappings, leaving the mummy with bare arms and legs, dark-gray flesh visible to all. To the group's amazement, her skin didn't seem as rotted out as one would expect from a walking corpse, other than the discoloration. But Tanis' embarrassment prompted Shaggy to immediately get started instead of letting the inquisitive Velma take a closer examination of the properties of the teenage mummy's un-living flesh.

It took a couple of tries for Shaggy to get a good wrapping rhythm going. The first attempt was too tight and Tanis ended up with a numb arm when Shaggy only reached her elbow. Who knew she still had some sort of circulation, even though whatever blood she might still have probably hadn't been properly flowing through her body in who knows how long. The second attempt was too loose, some of the loops drooping before Shaggy even finished. Shaggy's third attempt was some sort of criss-cross pattern he tried to do, but Tanis discovered that it wouldn't let her move her arm that much without constricting too much. Finally, he tried not being that accurate with the coverage, allowing little slips of flesh to be visible as long as the bandage held and didn't restrict movement. Tanis found it acceptable, as her human friend had no experience on how to properly wrap a mummy.

The baggy jacket was needed again when the gang booked a flight to Egypt, where her family's home tomb was located. Unlike the last few plane trips Tanis had taken, she was legally paid for and treated like a regular passenger. The hooded jacket and the sweatpants that Velma had fished out of her supply of clothes helped keep her appearance a secret, for the most part. As long as nobody took a real good look under the hood… It was a real close call with the officers that needed to scan everyone for illegal contraband, though.

In order to keep the disguise going, Tanis was put in a window seat. Next to Shaggy, naturally. But soon after the plane reached high altitude, the teen mummy had to shut her window blind. The sight of the extreme height was a pretty view to her, but also one that gave her the creeps. Heights were another thing that she was particularly meek about. She took to clinging to Shaggy's arm as she tried to calm herself down, the foodie getting used to the feeling of the height-challenged ghoul's arms around him in some way. After convincing her to try watching the in-flight movie, he thought about his former student. He was proud that she graduated, of course. He also had to admit that she was definitely growing up, no longer the tiny girl that was under his tutelage. If only there was a way to fully conquer her ever-so-nervous demeanor…

An awkward moment arose a short while before landing when Tanis poked Shaggy on the shoulder. Looking over to her, he noticed that her expression was what could be described as annoyed confusion.

"Um, Coach Shaggy…? Why does your kind think my kind is always so evil…?" she whispered to him, pointing at the movie screen she was watching. Shaggy noticed the problem right away. The movie was the newly-released version of The Mummy, where Tom Cruise does some running and the mummy was female this time. He could see how Tanis would be concerned about others' perception of monster-kind. Unfortunately, he couldn't adequately explain it. How could most people? It's not like monsters were public knowledge, other than stories or myths that could be wrongly interpreted.

But he tried to explain anyway. After about a minute of fumbling and stammering, Tanis giggled. She informed him that she had some understanding on how humans interpret monster origins, attitudes, and abilities and was just messing with him about being offended. Shaggy groaned as she kept giggling. Winnie or Phantasma must've rubbed off on her a little before graduating… Not that it was so bad. Her cheerful laughter would make anyone feel better about being pranked by her. At least, that's what he came to think.

After they landed and eventually rented a vehicle able to drive across sand, Tanis became backseat driver and kept giving Fred directions on where to go, knowing intricately where her family's tomb was located. It took a couple of hours and, midway through, the mummy had to quickly shed her disguise…

"Hot…! So hot… We mummies are quite tolerant of heat, but these clothes are quite confining… They need to go!" Tanis practically wheezed as she yanked the hoodie over her head.

"Well, that cinches it, gang. You don't wear winter clothes during a hot summer." Daphne remarked, trying to lighten the mood.

"You're not the mummy here, Miss Daphne…" sighed Tanis, unimpressed with the redhead's obvious remark.

A lengthy drive later, they arrived at a lone pyramid that Tanis pointed out as her family's. Fred and Shaggy hauled the sarcophagus like pall bearers carrying a coffin as they entered the tomb of Tanis' bloodline. Unfortunately, the gang had to trek through many a long corridor before they found anything resembling living quarters. Tanis even had to guide them past a couple of traps that the eagle-eyed tomb raiders had managed to bypass. The boys' arms were killing them by the time the excited mummy allowed them to set it down and rest.

"Feels good to be home again!" she said, taking a deep breath of the musty scent of old cloth and dusty remains. "Whenever you're ready, I'll have you take my sarcophagus to my room. It's not far from the dying room."

"Gulp… Dying room?" Shaggy asked, his nerves instantly reacting to his runaway imagination.

Tanis giggled. "Not like that, silly. We're already dead, so why would we call it a living room?" she asked like it was the most natural thing in the world. It probably was, to her kind.

"Huh… Ya got me there, Tanis." Shaggy shrugged, calming down again.

"So, shall I show you my dead-room?" Tanis asked. She rolled her eyes with an amused smile as Shaggy got visibly nervous again.

"Must everything be a pun now?" Daphne pondered aloud as Fred and Shaggy carried the Egyptian casket and followed the height-challenged mummy.

It wasn't long before Mystery Inc encountered Tanis' father, who didn't look much different than when Shaggy last saw him at the end of his tenure at Grimwood's. Things almost went horribly wrong, as her father mistook the gang of humans for more thieves and began chanting an incantation that was most likely an Egyptian curse of some sort. It took Tanis suddenly clinging to Shaggy with a loud 'NO!' to get him to stop and ask what was going on.

"These are friends of mine, Daddy… Please don't hurt them. Especially this one. He's the one I told you about from school…" Tanis said, sounding like she was ready to cry again as she clung tightly to the lanky foodie. Her father gazed at Shaggy as if inspecting him.

"Ah, yeah… I remember seeing you when I picked up my daughter from Grimwood's. Nice fellow, but easily frightened." the bandaged parent observed.

"Like, you can say that again." Shaggy gulped, his knees still shaking from the sudden scare of a few moments ago.

"And these others?" the elder mummy asked, a curious eye looking over the other humans.

"Uh, my friends, sir. Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, and Velma Dinkley. I'm sure you also might remember my dog, Scooby Doo." Shaggy introduced.

"Rog? Rhere?" Scooby asked, looking around.

"It's nice to meet you, sir. It's quite a rare opportunity to get to explore an actual Egyptian tomb, I must say." Velma said cordially, sticking her hand out for a handshake.

The mummy took her hand after a moment's hesitation. "Indeed. You'll have to excuse my earlier behavior. I'm still rather troubled by the last batch of mortals that dared enter my tomb. My wife and I leave for one measly vacation, the first we've had in a few decades, and thieves dare take advantage of our absence! Ugh… Disgraceful mortals. It worried me moreso when I discovered upon our return that our dear little Tanis also wasn't home."

"I had to go get my sarcophagus back, Daddy… I was scared that you'd be angry that I let thieves get away with something…" Tanis muttered, her face buried in Shaggy's chest. Her father turned back to her and Shaggy.

"Disappointed, yes. But angry? Well, I wouldn't be angry with you, my little scarab. I would've just been glad that you weren't harmed. The things I hear about how humans these decades can defend themselves, even when intruding on someone else's property… It is rather worrisome. No, my wrath would've been saved for whoever was responsible for stealing your blessed sarcophagus. It would've been painful and glorious." He said, raising a clenched fist at the thought of punishing the tomb raiders that dared violate the sanctity of a deceased's resting place.

"Um… I'm glad you don't have to go that far, Daddy. I got it back and I'm home, safe and sound." Tanis said, letting go of Shaggy and jumping up at her father to give him a clinging hug, which he caught and returned. The parent immediately calmed down from his irate thoughts.

"You're certainly becoming brave, little Tanis. Daring to venture out into the world on your own like that, with how timid you are? It's quite inspiring. A tale worthy of inscribing on one of our many walls with hieroglyphics, for more respectful visitors to gaze upon and ponder the meaning of. You are truly outgrowing your baby bandages, young lady." Tanis' father praised, much to the delight of the height-challenged near-adult hugging him.

"Thank you, Father… But I should give credit to where it is due. If it weren't for dear Coach Shaggy, I probably would've had a lot longer trip trying to drag my sarcophagus home…" Tanis said modestly as she tried picturing what her trip would've been like had things gone differently.

"And he and his friends shall be honored as well as I inscribe your tale of overcoming your sheltered nature upon the wall." her father agreed as he set her back down on the ground.

"Umm… I was thinking that perhaps they deserve a reward of some kind…? I mean, they did do a lot for me and this trip was kind of… out of the way for them. My sarcophagus ended up being all the way in America…" Tanis proposed, twiddling her fingers.

"A reward, huh? You think they deserve a reward, my little scarab? Hmm… They did bother to travel all the way here when they could've just passed you by…" her father thought aloud.

"Like, you don't have to reward us, sir. I didn't mind helping out my former student. She's a great girl and it wasn't any trouble to bring her back home. And I admit, like, it was good to catch up on what she's been up to since my time at Grimwood's." Shaggy explained. Despite the gang having gone completely out of the way to bring Tanis home, he still would've felt kind of awkward to accept any kind of monetary reward. He was just bringing a friend home. (However, if food was the reward… That might be a different story.)

"Heh. You're a good coach, Shaggy… for a human. And Tanis seems to really taken a shine to you…" he pointed out.

"Daddy!" Tanis shrieked, embarrassed. She ran over to Daphne, who was in the back of the gathered group of mortals, and hid behind her.

"I've lost track of how much she talked about you when she came home from Grimwood's that year." The proud parent continued on. Tanis moaned, wanting to just hide in her coffin and never come out. Why did her father want to expose her secrets like that?

"Like, really?" Shaggy asked, curious. He didn't think he'd be able to make any woman of any age think about him so much, he was so used to having little luck with love. His failed relationship with Googie was proof enough…

"Oh, yeah. She might always be the timid type, but after your semester there, there was a time where she'd convince us to leave the tomb and do some workouts. I know it's always good to stretch the old, rotted limbs here and there, but she wanted to be like her coach. I'm not sure what you said or did, but it was great to see her actually want to leave the tomb for something other than going back to school. Eventually, she moved on from the workout phase, but she'd still go for a walk around the desert sometimes as a habit. She was always such a sheltered child… It's partially our fault, but as we are mummies, we do have a tendency to be… oh, what's the modern-day term…? Oh, right… 'home-bodies'. That's the term." He explained to Mystery Inc, chuckling as he remembered how energetic Tanis was when she was younger.

"Wow… Hey, like, that's pretty cool, Tanis!" Shaggy said, figuring that she needed to hear it more than her old man did. She peaked her head out from behind Daphne.

"…Really…?" she meekly asked.

"Like, yeah. It may be a slow process, but you're coming out of your shell. That's great, Tanis." Shaggy answered, proud of his former student. The teen mummy slowly stepped out from her human hiding spot, looking at Shaggy with a slight blush on her face and a small smile.

"Thank you, Coach Shaggy…" she said.

Her father smiled at this. "Alright, you know what? I know just what to reward you with for helping her out. As head of this tomb of my family's distinguished bloodline, I shall reward you with… Tanis." he proclaimed, extending his hand toward his daughter in a theatrical presenting manner. Said daughter gave a slight 'eep' and hid behind Daphne again.

"Wait, what? What're you talking about, sir?" Shaggy asked, not expecting a sentient being to be his reward. Tanis wasn't property…

"Simple. I shall allow her to travel with you wherever you may go. She's proven herself to be old enough to explore this vast world. And it'd give me great comfort to know that she'll be traveling with someone trustworthy. Also, she's fond of you and, once you leave, my wife and I are probably not gonna hear the end of it for a couple of months, unless we keep you here. And I bet you wouldn't want to stay for long, as we're relatively far from civilization or any source of food that humans can eat…" the father explained, a satisfied smile on his face as he mentally congratulated himself for giving his daughter an opportunity to spend more time with her favorite human.

Tanis, however, looked unsure as she stepped out from behind Daphne again. "Daddy… Are you sure you'd like me to go…? Don't you want me to stay with you and Mummy?" she almost sounded heartbroken. Her father then realized what his offer could've sounded like to Tanis. But before he could console her, someone else beat her to it.

"Oh, Tanis dear, of course we enjoy your company as we go through our eternal unrest, but having a chance to explore the world… It's something that our kind rarely gets to do, especially in this era of pesky thieves illegally entering our tombs all the time. Not to mention, the upkeep on these old places… My, my…" A feminine voice said from behind the group. Tanis' mother had came up from a stairway leading further down the tomb, having finished with some sort of chore. The humans and dog could see right away where Tanis gets her height problem from as the bandaged matriarch was only half a head taller than Tanis, leaving her just a bit shorter than Velma. The lacking height seemed to have gone to her curves, however, as her hips, butt, and chest were… very noticeable, even with the bandages.

Obviously, the humans definitely noticed. Certainly, this brought up a conundrum of how a living mummy's body could possibly not suffer the effects of decomposition that much. But the guys didn't ponder it much for obvious reasons. Velma was the only one to really think about it as Daphne was, if she were honest, jealous that a mummy somehow had better endowments than her.

Tanis fidgeted, finding the floor interesting. "Well… It would be neat…" she admitted. Her mom approached her and gave her a loving hug.

"That's the spirit, Tanny. And you're going to be with that nice young man you were gushing about for a while too. Such a wonderful opportunity for you, don'cha think?" she soothed her daughter, throwing in a wink for good measure.

"Mummy!" Tanis whined, her face a crimson red as she squirmed in her mother's arms, wanting to hide again. Fred, meanwhile, started ribbing on Shaggy about it, much to the coward's annoyance.

"Now, now. It's nothing to be embarrassed about, scarab. Do you know how much I daydreamed about your father before I worked up the nerve to show interest? By Anubis, it must've felt like an entire era…" the mother reminisced, letting go of Tanis, but patting her on the head instead. She then whispered to her. "Don't take as long as I did. He is a mortal, after all. Not exactly as long-lasting as us, ya know."

"Okay, I get it… Um… Thank you for your support, Mummy, Daddy…" Tanis said, trying to not sound so timid, despite her excited mother's 'advice'. She couldn't fathom why her mummy felt the need to make things awkward like that. It wasn't like Shaggy was interested in her like that. She highly doubted he'd be interested in dating any sentient undead… Oh, the troubles of a one-sided crush.

And so, after staying for dinner so that the parents can get to know Tanis' human friends a bit (thankfully, Mystery Inc had thought ahead and brought some edible food, just in case), Tanis bid a bittersweet farewell to her parents, clad in a fresh new wrapping of proper bandages as white and clean as fresh snow. She would miss her family dearly and tears were already welling up in her eyes from the thought of being away from home for even longer than her casket-retrieval mission. But she was going to be brave. For her family. For Coach Shaggy. For herself.

Speaking of Shaggy, Tanis' father had to make one thing perfectly clear to the lanky beatnik. He had pulled him aside as the group stood outside the tomb, the travelers near their vehicle. "Now, I'm sure you probably wouldn't want to hear this from me, but as my little scarab's father, I do have certain duties. As much as I like the cut of your cloth so far… if you hurt my little Tanis in any way, there won't be a deity you can call upon that can stop me from finding you and placing the worst curse known to the time of pharaohs." He placed a hand on Shaggy's shoulder, a solid grip that would leave a bruise on most men. "Do we have an understanding?"

"Y…y….yes, sir… Like, please don't kill me..." Shaggy moaned, knees ready to buckle from the pressure of the straightforward threat.

"Oh, was I too much? My apologies. I know I needn't worry about my daughter. She's in good hands. Uh, trembling hands… but good hands." the Egyptian father said, his tone quickly switched to a pleasant one. The message was sent. No need for further unpleasantness.

"Like, yeah, uh… I'm just gonna go see if we're, ya know, ready to go…" Shaggy replied, his voice wavering from the fear that was so expertly inflicted upon him. However, as he turned and started back, a hand landed on his shoulder again.

"Hey, just one more question, Shaggy… My wife wanted to know… uh… When are we gonna be expecting grandchildren?"

Shaggy's eyes bulged. "Like, WHAT?!"

The father laughed at Shaggy's reaction. "Oh, Ra, that was golden! The look on your face! You looked like a stumped sphinx! Hoo… I always wanted to do that to somebody and I wasn't disappointed. Thanks for that, Shaggy. No, seriously, it's good to laugh, yes?" At this, Shaggy facepalmed and shook his head as he ventured back to the others.

"But seriously, though, when should we be expecting that?!" the father yelled in a boisterous way. Shaggy raised his hands in a resigning gesture and Tanis scolded him to stop picking on her coach.

After a few more minutes of chit-chat and farewells, the long trip back to America began. Now that Tanis was used to disguises and airplanes, the return trip wasn't as eventful. The next day, Mystery Inc was back inside the Mystery Machine and on the road again.

And that included the agency's newest official member, Tanis.

The group spent about a month traveling from city to city, letting Tanis see the sights and explore. It was fun to have a little vacation from pursuing rumors and cases of monster hauntings. But, as their luck would have it, it wouldn't take very long to just stumble upon a case… This time, it was a local casino being haunted by what was described as the reanimated corpse of some local well-known gambler, back for some sort of vengeance. Or money. Most likely money.

But solving the mystery proved to be a lot easier with little Tanis around… For meek as she was, that didn't always mean that she was easily scared of other monsters. She proved that by immediately unleashing her bandage telekinesis upon the ghoul by whipping loose bandages at him so that they tied him up.

"Bad ghoul. Bad! Who said you could leave your grave, you lost soul?!" the disguised Tanis scolded, as the gambling zombie did behave in a manner similar to undead without independent thought or will.

"Arrgh, lemme go! What the hell is this?! Release me this instant!" the 'ghoul' demanded, confirming to everyone what Velma had immediately suspected.

"You can talk? And so well for a zombie. Ooh, that must mean you're actually a criminal in disguise! My friends have run into plenty of people like you. Now that I've seen such a thing in person, you guys kinda seem… just weird. Doing this whole disguise thing just to take some currency? Really petty. Especially since you're not even doing it right." Tanis rambled to the guy, excited that she caught her very first monster, like her human friends have done so many times as mentioned by Shaggy before.

"The hell do you mean? I put this on and I growl and walk stiff. Boom, empty casino and easy pickings. How would you know about 'doing it right'?" the criminal scoffed. If his mask wasn't on, he'd spit at his captor for effect. The being that caught him threw off her jacket hoodie, revealing a being covered in bandages.

"Because I'm a real one. That's how I know." Tanis answered, lifting her bound prey up in the air with her telekinetic bandages. The criminal started yelling out for help. Her look might have been questionable as a possible disguise of her own, but there was no denying her claim when there was no logical explanation for why he was being hauled around in the air by seemingly nothing, as if he was the bandaged girl's balloon.

"Wow, that was easy enough." Fred pointed out.

"With the way things usually turn out, I'm surprised we don't just charge at whatever's haunting these places." Daphne remarked, nonchalant.

"Well, there's always that chance that one of these kooks might actually be a real, powerful, murderous being. Especially since Tanis is proof that the supernatural exists." Velma answered, always the voice of reason.

Tanis yanked the criminal down so that he was close to her. "Umm… Would you rather take jail or a curse? Because my daddy taught me some curses…" she asked, trying to be intimidating but ending up still sounding as innocent as usual. However, the criminal caved all the same.

"Alright, I'll take jail! Don't curse me!" he whined.

"Like, smart choice, dude. I don't think you wanna get on her bad side." Shaggy chimed in, patting Tanis on the head. The mummy giggled at Shaggy's gesture as she set the crook down on the ground and began reeling back her bandages. Fred managed to tie up the fake monster's arms with rope just as Tanis unraveled him. And then he pulled off the mask. Another mystery solved.

After a month had passed since Tanis was 'rewarded' to Shaggy as Mystery Inc's newest member, Tanis felt like she needed to just relax, having seen and explored a lot. Fortunately, the gang happened to be traveling close to their hometown of Coolsville. So, they decided to stop home for a while and put their travels to rest for the time being. Mystery Inc housed itself in their own apartment building. A relatively small one, but it was enough to house everyone comfortably. Even though she loved her family's tomb in Egypt and she enjoyed the dreary atmosphere of Grimwood's dorms, she had to admit that the apartments that her fellow paranormal detectives lived in were nice.

When she was asked if she wanted to take the guest apartment, she shook her head. Her face red yet again, she quietly mumbled a request to move into Shaggy's apartment. Fred got a sly look on his face as the girls were slightly taken aback by the timid mummy's inquiry.

"How about that, Shaggy? A woman wants to move in with you. Your luck's beginning to look up, old boy." Fred joked, clapping Shaggy on the back. Tanis's blush was practically glowing through the bandages as Shaggy flustered and stammered.

"Now, Fred, that's quite enough out of you." Daphne scolded, although a slight smirk betrayed her own inner amusement.

"Like, yeah, man. It's not like that. She probably isn't comfortable with being in her own place all alone. I mean, she's had to do plenty of being alone when she went to get her sarcophagus back." Shaggy pointed out.

"Suuure… That could be the case, but she could've picked any of us. Hell, logically, she should've asked one of the girls." Fred countered, a smug smirk on his face.

"Freddy, I think Shaggy and Scooby are the people that she's most comfortable around. It takes some people a while to get used to new friends." Velma stepped in.

"Aw, come on. Surely, I can't be the only one that thinks she's interested in him." Fred said.

"That's their own business to work out. If she is, she is. If she's not, she's not." Daphne stated, hoping to put an end to it. No use in making the poor mummy feel more awkward than she probably does right now. "Let's go back to our rooms before I make it pretty clear that I'm not that interested in YOU, ok Fred?"

"Ok, ok! Sorry, Daph. Just trying to have a little fun." Fred conceded, walking with the redhead toward their shared apartment. After Velma also left, Shaggy helped Tanis get her things into his apartment. She didn't bring much, so the task went by quickly. What was amusing to Shaggy was the air-sarcophagus that she had brought. Similar to an air mattress, it required inflating. Feeling helpful, Shaggy took the liberty of pumping it up for her. Oddly enough, it was adult sized. Tanis pointed out that they didn't make ones that match her current height.

That night, however, it would prove fortunate that her air-sarcophagus was adult size… For again, her telekinetic power over her bandages decided to 'sleepwalk' again, strands of bandages slithering out of the artificial coffin and floating over to the bed next to it. Pushing the covers aside, it revealed its prey….and quietly went to work…

Shaggy woke up to two things. First, the feeling of being confined. Secondly, the sounds of what could possibly be a sleepy female sigh. Opening his eyes, he saw darkness. However, hints of light could be seen from above him, coming through in a thin line. Feeling something like an arm or a hand moving up his chest momentarily, his mind became more awoke as it realized what could've possibly happened. Realizing that he wasn't tied up this time, thankfully, he reached up with the hand that wasn't next to the dozing body he was with and pushed the lid of the air-sarcophagus open. Indeed, it was morning. And he was indeed sleeping next to Tanis in her fake coffin. As he looked at the bandaged face of the sleeping mummy, he could've swore that he heard her mutter something about a 'pharaoh'… She had a smile on her face.

Smiling himself at how adorable she looked, he gently nudged her. "Tanis? Time to wake up. Like, it's morning." he said in a low voice. The height-challenged teen squirmed as her return to consciousness seemed like a struggle. Must've been a really good sleep…

As she stirred and slowly opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Shaggy, smiling. "Good morning, my Pharaoh…" she said in a tired slur. But after a moment, her brain realized something. She was awake. Shaggy was really in her sarcophagus. She had just called him by a pet name she had only dreamed of being able to call him. Her eyes bulged wide open as her face became the reddest it had ever gotten.

"OH, RA!" she shrieked as she leapt out of the sarcophagus and landed on the floor, scrambling underneath Shaggy's bed. Concerned about her actions and surprised by what she called him, Shaggy climbed out of the air-sarcophagus. "Tanis? Are you ok? …Is there something you want to talk about?" he asked, looking around the seemingly empty room.

"No…" a scared voice came from underneath his bed. "I did it again… My bandages brought you to me in my sleep… I lost control again… And I… I…" she trailed off as Shaggy knelt down and looked under his bed, his eyes met her scared ones.

"Tanis… It's ok. Like, I'm not gonna laugh at you or anything. You know that. But if this is gonna keep happening, like, I'd like to know why. I mean, I have an idea, but…" he was interrupted by the sounds of sniffling. She was about to cry. "Aw, Tanis, come on… Everything's ok. Whatever this is about, it can't be that bad."

"Yes, it can… (sniff) …It's embarrassing… And it can't possibly work…" Tanis muttered, her eyes closing in a failed attempt to hide from Shaggy.

"What can't possibly work?" Shaggy asked, curious.

No response. Then, Tanis crawled out from the bed like there was no tomorrow and clung to Shaggy. "US! I like you, okay?! I really, really, really like you! I know you were my teacher and also a human and, to your kind, I know that's gotta be like… twice as illegal or something… but I can't help it! You're so nice and funny and caring… and I think you're cute… I've been having these dreams every so often… Kinda naughty dreams… Dreams I shouldn't be having…!" she confessed before finally letting it out and crying.

Shaggy immediately returned her hug and comforted her, spending a good few minutes reassuring her with promises that everything's okay. His mind reeling from the revelation that the smallest Grimwood Ghoul harbored an incredibly huge love for him, his mind took stock of the situation. It wasn't like he wasn't interested at all. She was a fine girl to be around. He did find her to be pretty cute…for a mummy. She truly was a loyal friend to him, although now he knew exactly why… And as they got to know each other over the past month, their friendship grew as Tanis found herself enjoying some of the mortal things that Shaggy liked and ended up having more than a few good conversations about their common interests. Still, there was that little part of him that still saw her as that tiny student living at Grimwood…

He supposed he had dealt with stranger scenarios before in Mystery Inc's career. Or at least, scenarios that were a LOT more harmful to him… So what the hell?

When Shaggy came down for breakfast with the others, nobody expected him to be holding hands with what must've been the happiest mummy to exist. Tanis practically skipped to a seat at the table as she brought her new boyfriend over with her.

"Uhh… Something you wanna share there, Tanis?" Daphne asked as everyone stared at the oddly exuberant display of joy. Having had a few Girls' Nights with Velma and Tanis throughout the past month, the redhead had a suspicion…

"Why, yes there is! I'm overjoyed to tell you all that Shaggy and I are now officially dating. Oh, I'm so excited! The places we can go…. Ooh, the things we can do!" Tanis gossiped, her bright smile seemingly unable to leave her face.

"Oh, I bet I know one thing you two can do now…" Fred casually joked, earning himself a kick in the leg from Daphne. "Ow!"

"Really, Fred? What? What is it?" Tanis asked, her excitement apparently making her as energized as Phantasma.

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with now, Tanis. Congratulations on finding each other!" Velma said, diverting Tanis' attention back to the matter at hand. The mummy reacted by standing on her tip-toes and kissing Shaggy's cheek before sitting down.

"Like, this is gonna take some getting used to, but I'm liking this so far." Shaggy said with a smile. Seeing how pleased his new girlfriend was had already made his day. He just hoped he could keep her happy in the long run…

The first official date started off pretty awkward, as Tanis felt like she shouldn't have to wear the usual disguise. To her point, it did seem like a goofy thing to have to wear for such a special occasion. But what else could they do for going out in public? As the duo mulled over their options in Shaggy's apartment, an idea came to Tanis. An idea that would take bravery… An idea that would take sacrifice… An idea that would help her step out from her shell…

Excusing herself to go into his bathroom, Tanis went to work…

After a half hour of waiting, the bathroom door opened and Shaggy was greeted with a very surprising view… Gray skin… A lot of gray skin! Tanis had removed most of her bandages! Her face was fully revealed, except for the top of her head where her bandage 'hair and ponytail' remained. Bandages covered her B-cup chest and her crotch and ass in a very modest manner. As a nice touch, bandages covered her forearms like gauntlets and her feet like makeshift boots.

"Tanis… Like…. your bandages… They're….." he said, surprised that she would expose herself like this, knowing how imbedded into their existence the bandages were to mummies. Being like how she now appears was, supposedly, similar to a human exposing her naked body to the public.

"I know, Shaggy… I feel… stressed… REALLY stressed… but at the same time, I… This feels… good… Having you see this… It feels like one of my dreams…" Tanis said in a quiet voice, trying her best to keep her nerves under control. It took all she had to open that door and reveal herself.

"Is there anything I can do, Tanis? If you're freaking out, you can put them back on. Like, you don't have to do this." Shaggy reassured her.

"NO! Please, Shaggy… I need to do this… Otherwise, I'm still gonna be the same me… Only being brave when I have to… No, I have to get used to… putting myself out there. Stepping up… I'll be fine, eventually. Just… well… how do I look? Does my form please you…?" Tanis said, spreading her arms out as if that'd reveal more of her to him.

In stark contrast to the normal lifeless mummies that rested in peace, what lay beneath the bandages was nowhere near decayed. A tad dry, perhaps. But other than the gray skin tone and some patches of dry, rough skin here and there, she seemed about as human as she could get. A few strands of hair poked out from her wrapping of bandages, appearing to hint that whatever she had under there wasn't exactly the liveliest of hair… Perhaps some things couldn't be saved by whatever supernatural mysticism gave her kind un-life. Her face, on the other hand, looked alive, aside from what seemed like a permanent case of chapped lips and somewhat dry eyes. Her Egyptian features, as well as being considerably blessed in the genetics department, helped create an exotic look to the young adult mummy that Shaggy couldn't help staring at for a few moments.

"Like… Yeah… It, uh, pleases me…" Shaggy answered nervously. He was suddenly engulfed in another Tanis hug.

"I'm glad! It is rather fortunate that my kind don't decompose as much. If we did, we'd kinda have problems existing… Well, maybe we'd be just skeletons or something? Oh, why am I talking about that? Hehe… So I am attractive, yes?" she asked, kissing him on the cheek again. Shaggy couldn't help but begin to be turned on. Despite what she was, she was still an attractive woman in her bra and panties clinging to him.

"Like, yes! Yeah, ya are. Um… Perhaps we should find you an outfit, though. Ya know, before I, like… do something stupid…" he said, trailing off. It took her a moment to realize what he meant by that and remember her current state of dress. She wanted to blush and apologize and go hide again, but not this time. The urge was there, but she'd fight it this time. She was with her beloved Shaggy at last. If she couldn't handle a long hug in her bandage-made lingerie, then how could she handle a whole date where anything could happen? So, she settled for calmly releasing him and smiling.

"Um, yeah, we should. It'd be funny if we spoiled the evening because you decided to keep me here for our own pleasures…" Tanis giggled, blushing at her own innuendo. Shaggy thought her reddened face was so adorable. Definitely worth removing the bandages. He got up and went to his dresser to see what spare clothes he could have her wear. Most of the options would probably be slightly oversized, given her height… Even so, at least they wouldn't be too small for her.

With that, the date finally begun. Shaggy thought that the classic dinner and a movie routine would work just fine. Thankfully, Coolsville just happened to be one of the towns that had that new restaurant/theater combination concept of an establishment, so they tried that. Thankfully, their waitress for the evening didn't ask any questions about why Tanis' skin was gray or why she had bandages 'covering' her ponytail. As they enjoyed the showing of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Tanis was actually thrilled by the fact that she could simply wipe her mouth and hands after eating her burger and fries meal, instead of worrying about how to get grease off her bandages.

Then came the cliché moment of both Shaggy and Tanis reaching into their shared popcorn bowl at the same time. Feeling bold, Tanis had a bandage from her 'gauntlet' wrap around Shaggy's wrist so that he was stuck holding her hand instead of getting some popcorn. She looked over at him with an unsure 'Is this okay?' look on her face, despite the mostly darkened room. He returned her look with a smile and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

After the movie, they settled for a walk around, taking the senic route back home. Surprisingly, Tanis kept her bandage's grip on Shaggy, making him hold hands with her all the way out of the theater. Some of the movie-goers either joked about it or pointed out how sweet it was. As they talked about the movie, Tanis eventually released his hand from her bandage, but only so she could nuzzle into his side and position his arm around her.

"Like, you're certainly getting affectionate there, Tanis. Quick learner for being more social, huh?" he joked, gently holding her as they walked.

"I think so… I'm getting to like doing this stuff. It's fun and it makes me feel so happy. Um… Would it be alright if I called you…. my pharaoh? Like in my dreams…? I think it'd make for a nice pet name for you. Couples do that, right? Call each other cute nicknames?" she asked to make sure.

"Sure, Tanis. Like, call me anything ya want."

Days, weeks, and eventually, a few months went by as Mystery Inc got used to home life again. A couple of local mysteries came up in the meantime. Oddly enough, one of the costumed creeps turned out to be the gang's old childhood nemesis, Red Herring. Unsurprisingly, Red was flat broke and decided to resort to elaborate theft involving scaring people out of a bank… Other than those incidents, most of the group found jobs to make up for the agency's diminishing profit income.

Even Tanis found a job, which was surprising. Then again, it was at a clothing store meant for the darker styles of fashion. Apparently, gray 'body paint', a little bit of 'fake' mummy bandages, and a 'prop' bandage ponytail with a 'shiny toy' ankh on it looked stylish enough to fit the job… She would just have to be careful not to use her bandage-related abilities on the job. And there was also that one time she decided to bring one of her old favorite Grimwood 'delicacies' for lunch… She forgot that humans couldn't eat some of that stuff and would find it bizarre for a 'fellow human' like her to eat it. Luckily, her boss wasn't around, but it was still a close call. One of her co-workers ended up being wary of her for a little while…

Along with her job, dating Shaggy helped Tanis' social skills grow. It eventually got to a point where she decided to flirt with Shaggy, whereas Shaggy usually was the one to awkwardly flirt with her. What better way to show her man that she was overcoming her timid nature than…. a slap on his ass… with a bandage. He was just finishing up making dinner at the time and, therefore, ended up reacting in classic Shaggy fashion to the surprise 'attack'. After jumping up and almost bonking his head on the ceiling, he turned around to see Tanis a few feet away from him, the collar of her borrowed, baggy shirt placed so that one of her shoulders was bare. With a blush on her face, she attempted a 'come hither' expression, although it looked more like a silent 'Could you come here? Please?' with a touch of 'This is correct, right?'.

"Like… You slapped my ass…" Shaggy pointed out, sounding surprised.

"Um… I did, yes…. Is that okay?" Tanis quietly replied.

"Uh, sure! Of course it's fine. I'm just, like, shocked is all." Shaggy grinned, walking over and taking the short young woman in his arms.

"I have another surprise… if you'd like…" she told him, smiling as she wrapped her arms around him. She loved hugging him.

"Oh yeah? What might that be?" he asked, playing along. With that, Tanis' arms moved up to around his neck where she pulled herself up the few inches she needed to start kissing him. Shaggy's arms shifted so that he could carry her and not leave her stuck on her tiptoes while making out. He lumbered his way over to a nearby couch and lightly fell on it, placing the couple in a definitely more comfortable position for them to kiss their troubles away.

"Somebody's…. into it today…" Shaggy managed to get out between kisses, his hands roaming up and down his girlfriend's back. She took a moment to grin at him from her position atop him before diving in for another kiss.

"Of course…. my pharaoh… Why wouldn't I… be? I have you… to thank for… teaching me another lesson." she answered as she juggled the actions of talking and kissing. Her own hands did some roaming of their own, mainly sticking to his chest, although one hand did start to roam a little south. Shaggy noticed this.

"Umm… Like, you want me to… teach ya something new?" Shaggy asked, admittedly as turned on as he could possibly get. Her hand made the final stretch of its intended journey and landed on its destination with a gentle grab. "Whoa… Like, I guess that's a yes…"

"I love you, my pharaoh…" she said, returning to her old timid self for the moment as she gazed down into her man's eyes. He understood why she clammed up again. This was a big step she was suggesting…

"Like, I love you too, Tanis." he answered, initiating the next kiss. For once in Shaggy's life, dinner was postponed that evening in favor of an activity he found to be far more delicious and full of exotic flavor…

Soon after Shaggy finally lost his 'V-card', as Fred would phrase it, the mummy began to have certain problems… Waking up sick in the morning, sudden bouts of irritability that nearly ended up with curses being thrown, and cravings for the strangest of things to eat. (The others were disgusted when she suddenly wanted to eat beetles… What was she? Beetlejuice?!) Naturally, Velma had the suspicion and decided to talk with the short mummy about her strange behavior.

"Pregnant?! Me?! But I… Um…. Oh my… So Shaggy and I are…?" Tanis stammered, not expecting such a situation at all.

"Compatible in that way? Your behavior suggest that, practically against every piece of logic there is, a human has successfully bred with a mummy." Velma filled in the blank, not shy in expressing her own shock at something as logic-defying as an undead being reproducing sexually. The genius made a note to study and track the mummy's pregnancy. What a phenomena it must be, even for the supernatural world.

"Oh my… Oh my, oh my, oh my! What do I do? Is this good? Would Shaggy like this? We haven't even dated a year yet! What'll my parents think? I'm gonna be a mummy, I mean, mommy?" Tanis rattled off in rapid-fire fashion, panic setting in. Velma grabbed her by the shoulders to steady the quivering young woman.

"Tanis, everything's going to be ok. You're a bit young, but generally, creating new life is supposed to be a good thing. As for Shaggy, this'll be a surprise for him… but I'm sure he wouldn't mind being a father. You two are practically inseparable since you started dating and he's a very loyal man. I'd be extremely shocked if he did act negatively about this. Your parents, though… Well, we'll all cross that bridge when we get to it. Hopefully, they'll like grandchildren." Velma explained, which calmed the bundle of nerves in front of her.

"You're right, Velma… I'll tell him when he gets back from work. ….I bet he faints." she meekly joked, trying to psych herself up for the big talk later.

As expected, Shaggy fainted upon hearing he was going to be the father of a bouncing, bandaged baby… But when he came to, he simply kissed the worrying Tanis and reassured her that he'd be honored to raise a kid together.

He fainted again a couple of weeks later when he answered his front door and found Tanis' father glaring at him, her mother standing behind him. News traveled fast, it seems. Mummies trying to get to a different country in the human world, however, don't. It took Tanis herself to stop her mad father from hurting her 'pharaoh'. Her mother was surprised to see the not-so-timid-anymore Tanis actually standing up to her father. After what Shaggy guessed to be ten minutes of bickering when he came to, Tanis' father took her in his arms, apologizing for making a scene.

But not without making one certain request…. One that would not be denied.

Fast forward to the next weekend, where Mystery Inc, the Grimwood Ghouls (along with Winnie's "mates", Phantasma's porn star harem, and Elsa's D.I.Y. hunk), and quite a few members of Tanis' extended family were gathered in a park pavilion. Tanis chose an outdoor wedding since, despite American traditions, she thought that some of her elderly family members would be bothered by the wedding being held in a Christian church. (She could imagine their discontent. "Bah! So disrespectful to our honored Ra!")

Even though this was what Americans would refer to as a 'shotgun wedding', Tanis couldn't be happier. She no longer felt fear of being in public. She was well on her way to building a decent life in the human realm. She had a man who loved her for who she was and treated her like a queen, despite her chosen pet name for him. And she had a little one on the way. What more could she ask for?

Her joyful musings were interrupted by the minister (who was wise to the realm of monsters, a rare find in the Coolsville area) as he got to the part she had been waiting for.

"…take this man, Norville Rogers, to be your husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, til death do you part?"

Her blue eyes looked up into his as she gave her answer, wearing the brightest smile that Shaggy would always fondly remember. "I do."

As the minister relayed the same question to Shaggy, two things were apparent to him. First, although he tried his best to ignore it, was the dead stare of Tanis' father, who wanted to make sure that Shaggy would go through with it. He wished the guy would just back off about it for at least five minutes… But after a few more minutes, the father wouldn't have a reason to push him around anymore. Secondly, and more importantly, was how radiant Tanis looked in her regal wedding dress, which was mostly made with her own bandages. According to Daphne, it had taken a lot of serious effort to turn mummy bandages into a fancy-looking dress in such short notice, but it wasn't anything some major creativity couldn't hack.

"Like, I do, man." Classic Shaggy style response. Tanis nearly giggled, but kept her composure. The rest of Mystery Inc had to roll their eyes at that. Scooby muttered a quiet "Oh brother…" while snickering.

With no one to object to the wedding when given the opportunity (not that anybody wanted to, which made the father of the bride's glare toward the rest of the audience pointless), the wedding was completed with the traditional kiss, which the couple gladly obliged. It was noted that Tanis seemed to be the more enthusiastic one about the kiss, if the way she practically yanked her new husband's head down to her level and clung to him was any indication. Shaggy had a far more intimate indication of her excitement: her tongue. Lots of her tongue… The make-out session was enough to make the minister cough loudly to get their attention, thinking things might escalate a little too far in public.

The reception was well underway and things were going about as well as to be expected for a gathering of mummies, Ghouls, the Ghouls' mates, a few humans, and one dog. But Shaggy wasn't exactly having fun at the moment. No, it seemed Tanis' father wanted to give the new son-in-law one last warning…

"…so you see, my boy, I take pride in the idea of a lifelong marriage. One that's happy and fulfilling. And you know what that means, don't you? Keeping your wife happy. At ALL times. Oh, don't think I'm just pushing you around for sport, Shaggy. I had to learn that fact myself. My lady can be a bit… uh… intense when I've done something that displeases her. You do NOT tell her I just said that… Needless to say, that if you upset my precious little scarab, then I will show up here again… and I will be ready for—"

"DADDY!"

Shaggy immediately felt relieved. Saved by the wife! For someone who was once known for being as timid as she was short, she seemed like an imposing threat for the first time ever. She stormed right up to her father, a drink of soda in hand.

"I told you that enough was enough, Daddy! Why don't you try getting along with him?! Do you really have to make yourself seem bigger than Anubis here? For the love of Ra, we're still at our wedding and you're doing this! I was supposed to be on the dance floor with my new husband and I find him being needlessly grilled by you! Shame!" Tanis screeched, jabbing a finger at his chest as she ranted. (Tanis could've sworn she heard Phantasma shout out a "You go, ghoul!" in support.)

"But, Tanis, dear, I—"

"Shame!"

"It was only—"

"No. More. Warnings! Got it? You should be glad you're getting a grandchild. Sheesh… Just… Just relax and enjoy the party, alright? This is a celebration, after all…" Tanis said, sighing in resignation as her mood deflated. She didn't think he'd have the gall to pick on Shaggy at the wedding reception, of all times. What was he trying to do? Make Shaggy become as meek as she once was? His antics were beginning to give her a headache.

Her father grunted before speaking. "Alright, Tanis… Alright. You're right. It's your day, my little scarab. You go on and dance with Shaggy. I'll just see what your mother's doing." he said, lumbering off to search the crowd. Those nearby that had been watching Tanis' screaming match turned their attention back to what they were doing before.

"The nerve of that mummy…" Tanis groaned, leaning against Shaggy who instantly put an arm around her.

"Like, you alright, love? Thank you for the save, by the way."

"Yes, beloved pharaoh. I'm just glad I got here before he really got going. Now let's get on that dance floor and have some fun, alright?" she asked, looking up at him with a small smile.

Now that was a plan Shaggy couldn't argue with. He decided to express that very thought with a kiss. Who knew Tanis would turn out to be such a firecracker in public? And not even one embarrassed apology for the outburst too. Being married to this young woman, it seems, was going to be quite interesting.

Parenting, on the other hand… Well, that would certainly be an adventure in its own right. How does one raise a baby mummy anyway?

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** And there we FINALLY have it! Whew! This one was the hardest one to do, I think. Creativity seemed rather low on fuel for this and whatever I felt was right for the story, I went with. Also, I admit that with Tanis being the youngest one of the Ghouls, the obvious age difference between her and Shaggy might pose an issue with some people. But there's always the context that "Hey, he's already doing something strange by dating someone inhuman", so the age thing is probably miniscule by comparison. Here's hoping this turned out to be another success to officially close out this 5-part anthology of What-If's.

Therefore, I pose a question to those that want to review: Which of these one-shots was your favorite? I'm kinda curious as to which of these stories you, The People, like. And of course, I'd like to know your thoughts on the Tanis fic itself, as I've expected with the other 4 stories, naturally. So feel free to leave a review!

Reader Review Replies (Although I'm fairly sure some of ya forgot what you typed, since this chapter took so long… Sorry!)

nightmaster000 – As much as threesomes sound fun, this was strictly an anthology of Shaggy/One Ghoul fics. I mean, I do also have "Bringing The Graduation To You", my harem fic. Lol. Sorry I didn't use your references.

KOTG – Glad you liked the Sibella chapter. Yeah, Tanis ain't so small anymore, but she still ended up being the shortest of the grown-up Ghouls.

The Keeper Of Worlds – Well, it wasn't exactly like your idea, but it did involve something of Tanis' being taken and brought to a museum. Lol. Hope you liked this.

364wii – Dracula ALWAYS starts everything. XD It's why the Castlevania series of games is still going today. Ha!

commandosquirrel – Tell me about it, dude. The most we can do is hope for other talented fic writers to write more fanfics featuring the Grimwood Ghouls. Which reminds me… C'mon, fellow writers! Write some Ghouls stories! Lol.

Scheffelman – Oh, that reminds me… Everyone, don't forget to check out my special BONUS CHAPTER which I posted right alongside the Tanis fic! It's a bizarre cherry on top of this 5-layer cake!

All Guests – As always, thank you for the kind words!


	6. Surprise Bonus!

Author's Note: Ok, I was originally going to have this be a 5-piece anthology of one-shots depicting Shaggy hooking up with each of the Grimwood Ghouls while they meet the rest of Mystery Inc. But then, somebody actually requested in a review what I'm about to present to you and I thought "You know what? It may be ludicrous, but I'm going to give this a try!". So, if this story seems a little out-there, I'm sorry for that. But for now, let's crank up the juice and see what shakes loose…

Warning: Story may be borderline ridiculous, so please keep that in mind.

Disclaimer: Ya know, I would own something by now, but with the way I have my bank accounts set up, I have my checking and my savings and all my money's in the savings, so… Yeah, I don't own anything. (I'm running out of clever ways to do these disclaimers…)

BONUS Chapter: …..Ms. Grimwood?

The Mystery Machine was on the road again, its occupants' thoughts on the road trip they're currently on. It seemed like the hundreds of other times, where a bit of traveling would bring the mystery-solving five to some sort of trouble. However, this time, Mystery Inc. appeared to be heading to somewhere a lot less dangerous. At least, that's what three out of the five were confident of. The cowardly other two knew better of the situation, though.

Not that where they were going was outright dangerous, of course. Shaggy and Scooby both knew where they were going and who was waiting for them. No, they were more concerned about what their friends would react to everything. And that was why they were currently informing Fred, Velma, and Daphne of the full truth behind the letter that Shaggy had received just a couple of days ago that led to this trip.

"Wait, so you're telling us that you were a gym teacher? For an all-girls school? For monsters?" Fred asked in a skeptical tone. "You? Mr. Zoinks, Run Away? Somehow, I have a hard time believing that, Shaggy. Sorry."

"Like, yeah, Fred. It happened, during that couple of years where we all went solo. And why is that so unbelievable, like, when we've done things like escape an island full of actual zombies and fought against an actual ghost of an actual witch?" Shaggy countered, huffing in indignation at how Fred isn't taking his word for it.

"Relax, Shaggy. I'm sure Fred only meant that he can't believe that you would actually stick around at such a place. I mean, no offense, but we kinda know how you usually are around monsters and scary stuff…" Daphne gently reassured Shaggy.

"Yeah, Shag. We know you wouldn't lie about these things. So, why'd you stay and work there?" he asked, moving the conversation along.

"Like, mostly because the girls were all quite friendly once I got to know them and Ms. G was an accommodating boss. Quirky, but accommodating. At times, it was even, like, fun." Shaggy answered, smiling at some of the fond memories of the five unique ghouls. For the 50th time since he received Ms. Grimwood's invitation, he wondered how they were, having all fully graduated a year ago…

"Well, that's good to hear, Shaggy. That also must explain why we're all heading over there right now, considering that your letter said something about a new job position that this Grimwood would like you around for." Velma spoke, causing Shaggy to take out the letter in question and look over it again.

"Like, yeah. I'm not sure about taking this job, but a visit wouldn't hurt. It's been a while since I even been in contact. The Ghouls have graduated, but like, it'll be nice to talk with Ms. G again." Shaggy said, his eyes stuck on a particular sentence in the letter about how it, to quote the letter, 'would take great pleasure in having you under my employ again, Coach Rogers'. Something about the phrasing bothered Shaggy, but he couldn't quite figure out what. He was sure it was nothing dangerous. It was only good ol' Ms. Grimwood, after all.

"Yeah, we sure have tough luck keeping in touch with friends, huh? That reminds me, how long's it been since we've seen The Hex Girls?" Fred casually asked, only to get a light slap on the shoulder from Daphne. "Ow, what, Daph?"

The redhead smirked. "Oh, don't pretend like I don't know why you'd like to see Thorn, Dusk, and Luna again. Sigh… At least my man has good taste in women. You did ask ME out, after all."

"Better be careful, Freddy. If Thorn sends us free merchandise again, don't let her know if you get that package first. She might get suspicious." Velma teased, causing Fred to blush lightly as he drove the van.

"Uhh… So, what other things happened while you traveled solo, Shag?" Fred asked, desperate to move on to other topics. "Wait, let me guess. You were turned into a werewolf? No, wait… You somehow inherited a haunted mansion somewhere!"

Shaggy and Scooby looked at each other in stunned silence for a few moments, both wondering how in the world Fred's wild guesses were both correct. "Like…. we'll tell ya some other time, Fred."

After a couple more hours of driving along unpopulated forest roads and eventually passing by a military school, the Mystery Machine finally came to the All-Ghouls school of Shaggy's past. It looked a lot more broken down than Shaggy had briefly described, even though Shaggy commented that it hadn't changed a bit as he left the van. The rotted wooden sign next to the gate was still there, proclaiming the place to be "Miss Grimwood's Finishing School for Ghouls". Also like normal, the weather surrounding the old, haunted manor was particularly dreary, looking at best like it was about to rain.

"Call me odd, man, but coming back here actually feels good. Like, I was so nervous when I first went up to the door. I thought the sign was a joke at the time, but that house, though…" Shaggy mused aloud. It was surreal to the others to see Shaggy and Scooby not quiver in fear around a place that seemed so… forbidding.

"Reah! Real reaky prace!" (Yeah! Real freaky place!) Scooby said in his usual dog-speak as he followed Shaggy, the other three humans trailing behind. The porch creaking loudly as the five stepped upon it, Shaggy rose a hand and knocked loudly on the door. After the fourth knock, unfortunately, the door came right off its hinges, fell inward, and slammed onto the floor.

"Uhh… That'll, like, get her attention…" Shaggy quipped, chuckling nervously. A few moments later, a familiar short woman came down the foyer stairway to see what the noise was about. To her delight, it was the very man she had been waiting for.

"Oh, dear Shaggy Rogers! It's so abysmally wonderful to see you again! And so soon after I sent you my letter regarding my new… job offer for you." Ms. Grimwood said in her sweet, almost motherly tone. She immediately gathered Shaggy up into a hug. Despite her short stature and older age, the hug had quite a lot of force behind it, taking the wind out of the lanky coward as he tried returning the hug and breathing at the same time. After what seemed like a few minutes, even though it was just one, she finally broke the hug and petted Scooby for a few moments.

It was then that she noticed the three unfamiliar people outside her doorway. "Oh! Uh… I didn't expect you to bring friends along, Shaggy. Do you always do this with job interviews in your world now?" Grimwood asked in a sly tone. In her head, she was trying to come up with a backup plan. She had a new position for him alright, but it didn't require an audience.

"No, but like, I thought it'd be nice to show my best friends what I was up to for part of my life. So… I'd like to introduce you to Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, and Velma Dinkley."

"Hey.", "Hello.", and "Hi." were spoken from the three in question. Ms. Grimwood smiled sweetly, her pudgy middle-aged face revealing a few wrinkles.

"That's dreadfully lovely of you, dear. Pleasant to make your acquaintances, young ones. Feel free to make yourselves at home here. I assure you, we'll all have plenty of time to chat and have fun, but I would like to take care of business first. If you'll follow me, Shaggy…" Ms. Grimwood insisted, walking to a doorway and expecting Shaggy to follow, which he did.

"Like, I'm sure this won't take long, guys. Hey, Scoob! Warn them about Matches, would ya?" Shaggy said as he walked.

"Ratches?" Scooby gulped, remembering the short-tempered little dragon. He could only wonder how much the little guy had grown since their time teaching here… "Ruh oh!"

Ms. Grimwood led Shaggy to her office, just as broken as the rest of the building. Her desk seemed like the sturdiest thing about most of the building, much less the office alone. Then again, he figured that it wouldn't do for a headmistress to be unable to store her paperwork and supplies somewhere… The plump little woman took her seat and invited Shaggy to sit on a chair on the opposite side of her desk.

"Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I've decided to officially invite you back here. I understand that you and I had left on, uhh… uncomfortable terms…" Ms. Grimwood started.

"Huh? Oh, right… How we just bolted at the sight of the new students… Uh, like, I'm sorry about that, Ms. G." Shaggy replied, awkwardly scratching the back of his head passively. The older woman merely chuckled.

"Oh, it's quite alright, dear Shaggy. I understand. That particular bunch of students, unfortunately, didn't turn out as spook-tacular as your original class. We lost three teachers because of them… I had a lot of explaining to do… and a lot of expelling. Sibella and the others had to use force when it came to expelling the lizard girl. Quite a punchy temper on that one… So, in hindsight, I'm relieved that you ran." Ms. Grimwood recollected, her mood turning sorrowful at remembering those abysmal few months. But that was then and things had worked out. "Speaking of your star pupils, they're part of the reason I'm offering you this new position."

"Like, really?"

"Yes. As you may know, they graduated last year and, from what I've heard, they all are already on their way to great things. I believe I have you to thank for a great deal of their success here. Since you came, they've all gained great confidence and self-esteem, even little Tanis. Would you like to know what they're up to, by any chance?"

"Sure! I'd love to." Shaggy said, feeling a swell of pride toward his small group of monster friends. Ms. Grimwood make a show of opening a drawer of her desk and pulling out some paperwork. She flipped through them until she found what she wanted.

"Let's see… Winnie returned to her family's pack and, in one of the rare occurrences in werewolf history, became the Alpha Female of it, toppling the previous Alpha Male in combat. Oddly enough, she also proved to be quite a breeder already. Although, I think that had something to do with her taking a liking to the leader she had defeated and claiming him for herself…repeatedly. I must say, that doesn't seem like such a bad consolation prize for losing one's leadership position." Ms. Grimwood grinned, giving Shaggy a wink. The meek man had to chuckle.

"Well, unless Winnie's, like, a total control freak or something…" Shaggy commented, trying to imagine some big bad werewolf at the mercy of a smaller, demanding Winnie.

"Doubtful, but funny thought. Hmm… Tanis got noticed by the monster community's version of an advertising agency and is now on the road to becoming a model. Strange, considering her timid nature… Oh, as well as the fact that her body is covered in bandages. I just hope she isn't being led around by shady characters. Here, have a picture of one of her new ads." the headmistress explained, passing Shaggy a sheet of paper. It was an ad for a line of casual dresses featuring a taller, definitely womanly Tanis. Talk about having a growth spurt!

"Wow! She, like, looks great! I'm happy for her." Shaggy praised.

"As you should be, dear Shaggy. As for Elsa, she's currently trying to prove her worth by trying to enter the scientific community. It seems she's having a bit of a tough time finding a career, but as long as she keeps at it, I'm sure she'll find something worthy of her vast knowledge." Ms. Grimwood explained. The golem girl was usually rare to keep in touch and brief in conversation, so there wasn't much to tell there. Shaggy expressed his hope that Elsa somehow finds success.

Grimwood continued on. "Sibella arrived home to her father's castle to find an odd surprise waiting for her. Apparently, she wasn't an only child. Old Lord Dracula had a few… flings… over the years and there are now others who claimed to be the 'sole' daughter of Dracula. Even now, the newfound stepsisters are trying to get along. As if divine intervention, the young women seemed to find a bond in their annoyance toward their father for cheating on their respective mothers this whole time." ( **1** )

"Zoinks! I'd hate to be that guy." Shaggy nervously chuckled, although a small part of him did remember his own past encounter with the vampire lord involving a certain road race and, in a way, took a little pleasure in his old foe's misfortune.

"And as for dear Phantasma, I have it on good authority that she's been spending some time helping some lonely mortals. Ya know, keeping them company and such. Although… it doesn't surprise me that she may have gotten a little close to a couple of these lone souls. It's good that she found a couple of people to make dreadful music with, don't you think?" The headmistress seemed to have her thoughts elsewhere as she finished her explanation of the looney ghost's happenings, a longing smile on her face.

"I guess so. Like, there's somebody out there for everyone, man." Shaggy agreed, somehow not surprised that the nutty specter was more of a lover than a haunter. What seemed to scare most people a lot of the time, other than her undead state, was her overenthusiasm.

'Speaking of which…' Grimwood thought as she put the paperwork of her brightest students back in the drawer she drew it from. "I suppose we should move on to why you're here before I keep going off-topic, as dreadfully nice as it was to discuss your former class. Ahem… As you know, I was rather impressed with your performance as the school's gym teacher. And the school could do well with a reliable person on staff again. But this time, I do not require a gym teacher."

"Like, really?" Shaggy tilted his head slightly at this.

Ms. Grimwood smiled, finding his puzzled expression to be adorable. "For you, I have in mind something a bit more… hands on, let's say."

"How do you mean, Ms. G?" he asked, wondering why the headmistress was getting up and moving around the desk toward him.

"Well… How shall I put it…? Running a school can be... rather difficult sometimes. I find myself sometimes needing help and support that neither the other teachers I hire on nor my personal staff can provide, even though they do try." She sighed at this point as she stood before him. To Shaggy, she suddenly looked exhausted, as if a mask had just come undone. "Do you know how long I've had this place, Shaggy? ...Can you guess how old I am?" she asked.

"Uhh… Like, how do I even answer that, man?" he asked, knowing that some ladies don't like to be reminded of their age.

"Oh, relax, dear Shaggy. I'm not bothered by the fact that I'm 93. Before you react, though, I figure that's around 50 in a normal human's lifespan. Due to my unique connection to the monster world and their various abilities and varying lifespans, I've come to discover that my own life has been extended. I bet you have already figured out that I'm not exactly normal when you were here last, what with my particular taste in food your kind considers strange or inedible." Ms. Grimwood explained, hoping that Shaggy wouldn't be put off by what she was going to suggest.

"Huh… I guess that, like, makes sense. Sorta like the school itself granting you benefits for your job." Shaggy lightly joked.

Ms. Grimwood snickered. "True point. It just wouldn't do for an old biddy to run the place, now would it? But be that as it may, I do still age… And after a while of doing this, I do feel lonely." she remarked.

"Lonely? What about your octopus butler? Or living hand? Or Matches?" Shaggy asked.

"Yes, they're around and they're good company, but again, they can't provide the kind of help that I feel I need. Sigh… Oh, why is this so dismally difficult?" she suddenly asked, looking perturbed. In her frustration, she took the red bandanna that she usually wore off her head and threw it down to the ground, revealing all of her completely unkempt, messy black hair.

From his sitting position, Shaggy easily bent forward to reach over and pick up the discarded headband. "What's wrong, Ms. G? What kind of help do you need? Umm… I'm, like, not sure what I can do, but…" he trailed off, not sure what to say from there. He never seen his previous employer this flustered before, at least not when there isn't an evil witch bent on brainwashing her students anyway…

"Sigh… I guess I'll be blunt. Shaggy, the horrid truth is that I need a man… I'm LONELY…" she confessed, with a lot of emphasis on that final word. It was then that, like a sack of hammers, the true reason for this meeting hit Shaggy. The lanky man flew out of his seat, causing the chair to fall over backward as he stumbled back from the pent up headmistress.

"WHOA, man! Whoa! Like, lonely as in 'dating' lonely?"

"Not just dating..." Grimwood couldn't keep from making a certain implication, smirking flirtatiously (or what she hoped was flirtatious) at him.

"Lonely as in… 'haven't been laid in decades' lonely…?" Shaggy gulped. In no way, shape, or form did he ever think of Ms. Grimwood in that way. To him, she was just the kind headmistress and a friend. Besides, she was way older than him. Last he checked, that wasn't exactly his fetish…

Ms. Grimwood nodded.

"Uh, ok. I get that. Um…But why me, man? I'll be honest, I don't even like you in that way…" he said, still in a bit of shock about what's going on. He had backed himself up to a wall at this point.

"Oh, of course you don't. You just never gave the thought any consideration… yet." the headmistress replied, giggling at his nervous babbling. She then began to fidget with her cloak, unbuttoning it and letting it fall off her. Shaggy's eyes widened even more. Was she going for what he thought she was going for? Now? So suddenly?!

"But you were my boss. And you're, uh… umm…" He took to looking at the floor. Lord, was this situation awkward. What he wouldn't do for some way out of this.

"Old? Oh, don't you know that women are sometimes like a fine wine?" she asked as she approached the cornered coward. "Besides, you forget where we are and what I deal in, my dear Shaggy. Your kind's standards of beauty doesn't exactly matter here." It was then that she stood just mere inches from him, placing a hand under his chin and lifting his head back up so that he was looking at her middle-aged, flat-nosed, pudgy face. Considering their differing height, she didn't have to tilt it up that much…

"Look, Ms. G., this is really sudden and we barely know each other outside of when I worked here and-"

"And I want to get to know you better. You think I'm 'interviewing' you for a one-time fling? Not my style, despite how this looks right now. I wish you to accept my 'job offer' of vice principal. You help me run the school and keep the students in check during semesters. In return, your every need shall be taken care of, whether it be food, entertainments, or something of a more carnal nature…" At that last part, she took one of his hands and positioned it so that he was giving her a one-armed hug. If only she were taller… She had wanted to place his hand on her ass, but that would've required trying to make him bend over slightly. In any case, he got the message, judging from the fact that his entire face went red.

"Zoinks! Like, seriously, Ms. G. I'm not really seeing how…"

Again he was cut off. "I may be getting old, my dear, but I assure you that my extended life also granted me some… endurance."

He didn't know whether to blush red or feel green…

She continued. "Not to mention, I've always wondered what it'd be like to date someone young and full of life such as yourself. All that running around you do... Your energy must be exceedingly high." she mused in a wistful tone, sounding as though she knows that this may be her only opportunity for such a thing. As if most mortals would give a plain-looking (at best) woman like her a second glance…

Shaggy sighed in resignation. He started to feel a little guilty that the normally kind headmistress couldn't seem to find anyone to date. Granted, some of the reasons for her hard luck with love were kind of obvious. Her age, people's standards, the fact that she ran a monster school… But what was he supposed to do? He was just… wait, what's she doing?

Shaggy's train of thought was derailed when he noticed that the headmistress in question had taken a step or two back and was… lifting her pink dress up?

And with dress hitting floor, there it was… Her body. It was… there. Yep, it was there alright… To be honest, Shaggy had been expecting something worse, considering all that talk about age… What he saw (and had gotten burned into his brain for the rest of his life) was an acquired taste. Her short stature and relatively plump shape gave her an unusual look that would probably deter many.

But Shaggy, even though he still wasn't sure whether dating her was even an idea at all, knew that she was really putting herself out there by showing herself in all her glory. After all, someone like her most likely wouldn't strip for just anyone, even with her pent-up urges… Not to mention, he had his own needs, as the tightening of his pants indicated.

He couldn't believe he was about to do this…

-2 hours later—

"What's taking them so long? Never heard of a job interview going this long?" Fred grumbled, bored. The school's octopus butler had taken the liberty of bringing the guests some snacks. Thankfully for Mystery Inc, the food was normal human food. Not that they needed to know of the kind of food that Grimwood usually has, of course.

"Maybe she's going to hire him on the spot?" Daphne suggested, also bored.

"Even if it were that, it should've been over by now." Velma replied, shooing the living disembodied hand off of her head. The hand was playfully 'dancing' on the nerdy woman's head, clearly also bored.

"And where'd Scooby go anyway?" Daphne asked, noticing that their faithful dog was nowhere to be seen in the fairly large room.

"He said something about some matches and left. Not sure what he meant by that, though." Velma answered, taking another mini-sandwich from the plate that the octopus offered to everyone.

A minute or two later, a door opened and Shaggy stumbled out with Ms. Grimwood following with a more stable gait. The three humans were slightly confused as to why Shaggy clearly looked messed up. His unkempt hair looked even more askew, his shirt ripped in a couple of areas, and if one looked closely enough, his neck was covered in red marks. He had a haunted look in his eyes, yet he seemed to be in a fine enough mood.

"Like, uh, I guess I'm hired, guys. Turns out she needed a vice-principal to, like, help keep matters under control. So… I guess I'm moving here in the fall."

The team was glad that he got himself a job, but they weren't too thrilled about the idea of splitting up again for a block of time.

"Congratulations, Shaggy. It'll be nice to have a little income, especially when we're low on cases." Fred remarked.

"You'll keep in touch more often this time, won't you?" Daphne asked, giving the beatnik a stern look as she remembered the last time Shaggy and Scooby went solo. Shaggy gulped and nodded.

"Not to be nosy, Shaggy, but what happened to you? You're a mess." Velma couldn't contain her curiosity. How could Shaggy get that messed up during a job interview.

"Oh, I'm afraid I'm to blame for that, dearie. Just in case he wanted his old gym position back, I had him prove that he can still do a strenuous workout. Boy, did he ever perform." Ms. Grimwood giggled, turning her head to her younger lover and winking at him so that his friends didn't see it. Shaggy's eyes widened, unsure if her innuendo was too easy to figure out. Then again, he doubted most people would look at the duo and peg them as a couple immediately…

"What'd you have him do? Run an obstacle course full of dangerous hazards?" Daphne asked out of concern, looking over Shaggy again.

"No, nothing that extreme. Although, I do have such an obstacle course for my students. Most monsters are quite a hardy bunch, after all. Human obstacles barely pose a challenge." Ms. Grimwood said as if she were discussing a nice luxury in a vacation spot. Daphne decided to keep quiet, not wanting to know exactly what kind of monster-style hazards the headmistress tested her classes with.

"And you work here again, Shaggy? You're a braver man than we give you credit for." Fred said, mainly as a joke about Shaggy's timid disposition but he was sincere at the same time.

"He's definitely a man, alright…" Ms. Grimwood muttered to herself. Shaggy heard it clearly, but the others couldn't make it out.

"What was that?" Velma asked.

"Nothing, dearie."

A half-hour later, after searching the entirety of the broken down manor of a school, the group finally found the wayward Scooby-Doo in the brush and weed filled clearing behind the school. Much to their surprise (or joy, in Ms. Grimwood's own opinion), the great dane had found Matches the Dragon alright… He also found the older, bigger sister of Matches, who was visiting her fiery baby brother at the time. The female dragon had taken a strange liking to the talking dog and, as much as the angry little brother wanted to fry the dog, he couldn't at the moment. His fire breath would also hit his sister, who Scooby found himself cuddled up with. Clearly, Matches had just walked in on the odd couple…

"Oh, isn't that a beautiful abomination?!" Ms. Grimwood asked the group, overjoyed that she wasn't the only one to find love today. Fred and Daphne were surprised and, after trying to imagine a dog and a dragon getting intimate, slightly disgusted. Velma made a mental note to study how such a mating could even happen. Shaggy, in a way, felt relieved that he wasn't the only one who's love life just went straight toward the bizarre.

-Years later—

Shaggy's new life as the Vice-Principal of the Grimwood School for Ghouls turned out to be an interesting one. Not only did his new wife always find more different ways to get him to get intimate with her, but he eventually managed to overcome his natural cowardice with every semester of new students, some looking more aggressive than others. However, his growing assertiveness could've also be attributed to the fact that he had become a father after his first year of being the headmistress' boyfriend. He had to step up, after all.

Scooby Doo had also stayed at the school, having immediately grown fond of his dragon mate. It wasn't surprising that when Shaggy took him out on a walk, he would also have to take the dragoness out for a walk too. There was even the rare occasion that the dragon would let Shaggy ride on her back as she walked alongside her Scooby.

Naturally, Matches still wanted to burn Scooby to a crisp, being the overprotective family member that he is… But the bigger sister always made sure to put the petulant little dragon in his place every time he tried.

For the most part, that brings things to the present moment as Shaggy and his older lover hid themselves inside a locked janitor's closet, needing a moment alone together despite the current class of students milling about. As Grimwood pulled that pink dress up and over her head, Shaggy immediately grabbed at the body before him, which was slightly fatter than it was when they first hooked up, motherhood having done a number to her. Nonetheless, he ended up developing an appreciation for her type of body, which was a relief to Ms. Grimwood whenever a succubus, siren, or other attractive monsters attended.

"Ooh, Shaggy dear. Ever so eager, aren't we?" Grimwood cooed, planting her lips repeatedly all over his face before crashing her mouth on his. She had proved to be an energetic lover, probably due to the effects of her life being supernaturally extended. (If he thought about it, living with her reminded him of that time years ago where Mystery Inc. ran into that macabre Addams Family… ( **2** ) Perhaps she knew of them and their near-invincibility against their deferent forms of self-mutilations?)

"Like, ya know we can't stay in here long. We're bound to be needed for something at some point." Shaggy said, already thinking of a thousand other things he'd rather be doing instead of anything work-related, but he's already doing the top thing on that list. As he caught a whiff of her perfume, which smelled slightly of brimstone for some reason, his mind almost made him take back those words and try to keep her there for the rest of the day. That's the major downside of quickies…

"Well, in that case…" Grimwood chuckled as she gently shoved him down into a sitting position and moved on to the 'meat' of the problem.

Shaggy would've never thought he'd be doing student shenanigans like this at his age and occupation. But he didn't have to worry about getting busted. Not unless his wife wanted to role-play…. But that was another matter. Time to possibly create another future student….

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** A relatively short one, but I wasn't really trying to create a deep plot or anything with this one. After all, this is a crack pairing so I was aiming for something that's ridiculous but enjoyable (if you can handle the idea of Shaggy getting with a woman of Grimwood's age, of course). Nonetheless, I've had lots of fun writing this anthology of "What If" Shaggy/Grimwood Ghoul one-shots. I hope that people enjoyed this and that, perhaps, I may have inspired others to write out their own Shaggy/Ghouls fics. Or fics involving the Ghouls in general. A big thanks to everyone for reading!

Reference Footnotes:

1) Making light of the fact that there's at least a few fictional worlds where there's a "sole daughter of Dracula". Sibella's one example. Other examples might be Mavis from Hotel Transylvania and Draculaura from Monster High.

2) "New Scooby-Doo Movies", anyone?


End file.
